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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23159005">Shrouding the Sky</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelliums/pseuds/stelliums'>stelliums</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Keyblade Wielder Kairi (Kingdom Hearts), My First Work in This Fandom, Post-Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Pre-Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Xion-centric (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:00:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>46,378</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23159005</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelliums/pseuds/stelliums</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Riku's plan doesn't go as planned, and all that follows. Protagonist Xion AU.</p><p>A collection of connected scenes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Axel &amp; Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Hayner &amp; Olette &amp; Pence &amp; Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi &amp; Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Lea &amp; Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Naminé &amp; Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Riku &amp; Xion (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Her breathing was heavy as she swung the blade at him. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to yell at him and goad him on. It was the only way. But she couldn’t. Her steps faltered, but he continued attacking, frantic.</p><p><br/>
It was the only way.</p><p><br/>
Xion heard herself screaming at him, telling him to stop, that they needed to stop, that she wasn’t the enemy that they were fighting. It was the same things that he had been saying to her, moments earlier.</p><p><br/>
It was the only way.</p><p><br/>
She parried attack after attack, remembering that she knew his every move. This was Roxas. They had spent every spare moment training together. He had taught her how to use the Keyblade. She could mimic his style of fighting perfectly.</p><p><br/>
It was the only way.</p><p><br/>
His motions were getting frantic while hers were growing more and more wary. He had been slowly wearing her down. She had always been a glass cannon of sorts.</p><p><br/>
“This can’t be the only way–!” </p><p><br/>
She thought that she had parried yet another attack, but her Keyblade had hit fabric and flesh rather than metal. Xion narrowly caught him in her arms. She knew that someone was watching them. Someone who would step in to set things right one way or the other.</p><p><br/>
“Xion… why…?” He breathed, reaching a hand upwards to hold onto hers. She provided him with no answer, choking back tears and covering her mouth with her other hand.</p><p> <br/>
“None of this was supposed to happen… I’m so sorry, Roxas…” The least that she could do for him was to hold him while she still could. She could feel his weight getting lighter as he started to fade. </p><p><br/>
She heard a rustle from the nearby bushes and took it as a cue to leave. Her breath came in heavy bursts. She disregarded her destination; she couldn’t face anyone like this. Not Riku, not anyone in the Organisation who chose to run after her. Wherever she went, they would eventually find her. </p><p><br/>
“Where is she?!”</p><p><br/>
“…you missed her.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Okay, okay, I’ve got a good one!”</p>
<p><br/>Their secret base was lit by lanterns and a small campfire. They were sat around it, telling stories of creatures that lurked around the town, just out of sight. But they were only stories.</p>
<p><br/>“Don’t keep us in suspense! C’mon, Hayner!” Olette insisted while she slid some marshmallows onto sticks to roast over the fire. They couldn’t have a campfire without marshmallows. </p>
<p><br/>“Have you heard the story of the shrouded figure?” When his words were greeted with shakes of their heads, he continued. “It appeared a few months ago. It wears a black cloak and never raises the hood, and comes out at night to kill the monsters.” Everyone knew of the monsters that lurked in the dark. They had been there for longer than residents could count but their numbers had been increasing as of late. Whenever night came, residents had been advised to stay inside. </p>
<p>“Would we see it now, if we went outside?” Pence stood up and peeked around the corner. Curiosity overtook them all and led them outside, into the square.</p>
<p><br/>There it was. A humanoid figure, no taller than a child their age, was stood on top of the fountain. Its weapon – some kind of key – lashed out at the monsters that crawled around it. </p>
<p><br/>“We’ve got to help it!” Hayner tackled one of the creatures.</p>
<p>The figure hit it out of his hand, beating it until it vanished. It stared at him before running off into the streets. The children followed it until they came across an old building. It had been abandoned for a long time. The door had been sealed up; the entrance was a hastily-made hole in the wall. It was dark, slightly damp, no place to live in.</p>
<p><br/>“Hello?”</p>
<p><br/>“We were only trying to help!”</p>
<p><br/>“Shh, be quiet. It might not like too much noise.”</p>
<p><br/>“Or people, from the looks of it.”</p>
<p><br/>The figure watched them wearily. She had done well enough to avoid contact for this long. But she would be found soon; Twilight Town was a terrible place to hide. “What do you want?” She asked the children, holding her Keyblade tight. </p>
<p>“Why do you keep your face covered?” Olette reached a hand out, which she grabbed to prevent her from touching her. “Sorry.”</p>
<p><br/>“At least we know it’s a person.”</p>
<p><br/>“Pence!”</p>
<p><br/>“…we have a campfire, and marshmallows. Aren’t you hungry? You don’t have to be afraid of us.” Hayner interrupted his friends, offering a hand to her.</p>
<p><br/>A single tear fell down her cheek. “Roxas?” She breathed. She wiped her eyes and muttered to herself. She must have been seeing things. Roxas was with the others— no, Roxas was gone.</p>
<p><br/>“I don’t know any Roxas, but I’m Hayner. That’s Pence and Olette. Welcome to Twilight Town. What’s your name? It must be lonely, staying here without any friends.”<br/>“I’m Xion. It’s nice to meet you.”</p>
<p><br/>Their ‘base’ as they described it, was far more comfortable than anything she could make herself. Sleeping bags were strewn around. Perhaps she could sleep there. The dingy hole that she had been resting in during the day only served to make her clothes damp and keep her hidden. She sat down on a bench next to Hayner and watched her marshmallows toast on the fire.</p>
<p><br/>“They’ll burn if you leave them in for too long.” He moved her stick away from the fire and blew out the burning marshmallows. “Here, you should be able to try one now.”</p>
<p><br/>“Thank you.” She bit into a marshmallow. It was sickly sweet but it melted in her mouth. She took off her hood. These three didn’t even know what a heartless was, or a nobody. There was no chance that they were working for the Organisation, or anyone else. They were the most normal people that she had ever met. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was shaken awake by Olette. The young girl had been sleeping in the trio’s base, curled up in one of the sleeping bags. Olette, Pence and Hayner had each offered to take her in since she had established that she had no parents to be found but she had declined every time. The last thing that she wanted was to take advantage of their kindness.</p>
<p><br/>“It’s the last day of summer. Want to go to the beach? </p>
<p><br/>“We’ve been saving up for a while.” Olette added, shaking the bags of coins in her hand. “We’ll be going back to school soon, and we really want you to come with us.”</p>
<p><br/>She blinked her eyes open and stretched. She wore the same clothes every day. The money that she had was primarily spent on food or to help out with her friends’ beach fund. She ran a hand through her hair. “I’ve never been to the beach before.”</p>
<p><br/>“You haven’t? Then you have to go. No ifs, no buts, you’re coming with us!” Hayner pulled her along with him out of the base. </p>
<p><br/>Xion, Hayner and Olette met Pence at the train station. The others were wearing swimsuits underneath their casual clothes while Xion stayed in her cloak, albeit with the hood down. She borrowed one of Olette’s swimsuits, a simple black one-piece, in case she wanted to go swimming too.</p>
<p><br/>“Let me guess, you haven’t gone swimming either?” Pence asked. “What did you do before you came here?”</p>
<p><br/>She shook her head. “I came here, to the clock tower, and watched the sunset. We always used to get ice cream… sea salt flavour. Roxas almost fell off once, trying to show off for me and Axel…” She giggled at the memory as though she was trying to hide how the light in her eyes dimmed when she spoke about what had been. “We had fun. I guess we never had much time for the beach.”</p>
<p><br/>“Then we’ll have to show you a good time!” Hayner clapped her on the back with a bright smile.</p>
<p><br/>The sea was at a low tide when they arrived at the beach. Xion busied herself with setting up an umbrella and blankets to rest on. They had bought some food with them – Hayner’s parents had made sandwiches and they had baked cookies together for the occasion. It was the last day of summer after all. </p>
<p><br/>“What will you do without us?” Olette asked as she led her to the shore, their hands grasped together.</p>
<p><br/>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p><br/>“Well, we’ll be going back to school soon. So we won’t be around as much. We’ll still see you, of course–“</p>
<p><br/>She was interrupted by Pence. “When’s your break over? I mean, you probably go to school somewhere out of town. Unless you’re transferring to ours.”</p>
<p><br/>“That’s a great idea! Xion, you have to come to school with us!”</p>
<p><br/>“I can’t. I’m on a very long break… I’m sure I’ll find a way to see you.” She told them. The cold water lapped at her feet. She saw Hayner and Pence splashing each other close by, with Olette swimming over to join them. </p>
<p><br/>Her foot hit something while she was still wading. She reached down only to pick up a seashell. A conch, she recalled, white with a hollow, pink inside. Her seashell collection. It was likely still on Roxas’s bed, just as they had left it. Unless someone had moved them, or just thrown them away. Her little tokens of friendship were worth nothing now. She remembered going down to the shore to collect them every day while Roxas lay unaware. She had been foolish enough to think that her devotion would wake him up.</p>
<p><br/>“Xion? Xion, are you okay?!” Hayner held her up.</p>
<p><br/>“I… I need to lie down, I think…”</p>
<p><br/>He led her back up to the beach. They sat down underneath the umbrella; they had only thought to bring one. “Is it heatstroke or something?”</p>
<p><br/>She shook her head. The seashell remained tightly gripped in her hand. “My head…”</p>
<p><br/>Hayner frowned and carefully opened up her hand to reveal the shell. “Can you tell me about this? I bet you know a lot about a lot of things. You’re really smart. Whenever someone’s feeling down, a distraction helps.”</p>
<p><br/>“…I used to collect seashells, to give to a friend. He was… unconscious. I couldn’t do anything to help him, so I gave these to him instead.” Tears started falling down her cheeks and onto the sand. Through her burry vision, she could make out palm trees. A treehouse was made in one of them, facing the wide ocean around the island. </p>
<p><br/>“I thought you said that you’ve never been to the beach.”</p>
<p><br/>“I used to live on an island that was nothing but beach.” The words came out wistfully, before she could think. She had never lived on an island, let alone one with palm trees and a treehouse.</p>
<p><br/>He wrapped an arm around her in some attempt to comfort her. “You can tell me about that instead, if you want.”</p>
<p><br/>“We built a treehouse in one of the palm trees. We pretended to be pirates and had sword fights with our Keyblades. He always won… I wanted nothing more than to be just like him. I sent a message in a bottle to Kairi, once, but I can’t remember what I wrote in it. Or if she ever had it.”</p>
<p><br/>“Who’s Kairi?”</p>
<p><br/>“A– a friend.”</p>
<p><br/>“And the other friend? The boy?”</p>
<p><br/>“His name is Riku.” She tucked her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. “I haven’t seen either of them for a while… I lost them, and I–“</p>
<p><br/>“You’ve got us now! We’re not going to go anywhere.”</p>
<p><br/>“I know.” She looked up and blinked her tears away to see Pence and Olette hitting a colourful beach ball back and forth. While she watched them, she aimed to commit the scene to memory. She needed at least one memory that was clearly hers. Those memories didn’t belong to her; what she was feeling didn’t either. The only thing that truly belonged to her was her memories of Roxas and Axel, and moments like these. </p>
<p><br/>“I think I can go back in the sea now. Thank you for… helping me through that.” </p>
<p><br/>“If you’re sure. I’ll race you!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Late dawn light filtered through cracks in the sheets that Hayner, Pence and Olette had used as a roof. It painted the walls golden. For a moment she could imagine that this was a palace, with a chandelier of crystals hanging from the ceiling. That her cloak was a dark blue dress studded with sapphires. But that was nothing but a fantasy.</p>
<p><br/>When summer had ended and her newfound friends returned to school, she had seen shadows of familiar figures watching her. Waiting for her next move, when she would be alone so that they could strike. Killing Roxas had painted a target on her back, regardless of intentions. Assassins, from the Organisation or otherwise, would be pleased to pick her off. </p>
<p><br/>She bumped into Olette on her way out of the hideout. “Where are you going?” She asked with a bright grin. </p>
<p><br/>Why would she break that smile with the truth? She bumped shoulders with her. “I have to go away… for a while.”</p>
<p><br/>“Where?”</p>
<p><br/>“I’ll come back someday. With more stories to tell.” She forced a smile before leaving her to walk to school. The three of them had the most normal lives of anyone she had ever met. She had known that this wasn’t going to last forever, so why did it hurt so much when she did? She carried on through the city, to a walled-off alley where she wouldn’t likely be seen.</p>
<p><br/>“Finally.” Riku looked her over without malice or bloodlust in his eyes. Satisfaction, perhaps, but nothing that suggested that he enjoyed tracking her down. He jumped down from the wall that he had seated himself upon.</p>
<p><br/>“Hey–! What are you doing to her?!” </p>
<p><br/>He recognised Hayner and Pence from his previous travels to Twilight Town. “Stay out of this. This is between me and her.”</p>
<p><br/>Xion’s Keyblade appeared in her hand. It wasn’t Xion’s at all, he told himself. It was Sora’s, and it always will be whether or not he ever woke up from his long slumber. She seemed to be preparing for a fight, although she didn’t look ready.</p>
<p><br/>“You can just end it right here. Then you can be completely rid of me.” She stepped forward and took his Keyblade to point it at her chest. “…isn’t that what you wanted?”</p>
<p><br/>“You’re not going to hurt her!” Hayner lunged toward him with one of the batons that they used to play-fight with. It was made of foam, so it would cause little if any damage to him. Riku swept his Keyblade under Hayner to knock him off of his feet and onto the ground. </p>
<p><br/>“Xion, run!” Pence called.</p>
<p><br/>She didn’t know whose face Riku saw behind her hood when he dropped his Keyblade. Xion did the same. A truce of sorts. She held out a hand to help Hayner off of the ground. “You don’t have to fight for me.” She told him, although he was still glaring daggers at Riku.</p>
<p><br/>“This isn’t a fight, even if you have gotten stronger. This is an offer of help–“</p>
<p><br/>“…I don’t need it. All that your ‘help’ gave me was a dead friend and no home to go back to. I’m not a lost child, looking for your protection!” Xion raised her voice as she spoke before quietening down again, almost to a whisper. Her words were venom. “You gave me a choice, and… I chose to live. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”</p>
<p><br/>She steadied herself to fight, launching herself at him. Her Keyblade hit his own. She was faster on her feet than he was, smaller and more agile. And she was angry. Xion didn’t know if she had ever felt anything like it before, a fire coursing through her body that urged her to carry on. </p>
<p><br/>“I did– I never told you to agree to it–“ Riku could feel her anger. It was a dangerous thing, a door that led down a path to nothing but further pain. If she were to go down that path… he feared the consequences of such a thing. He had her cornered against one of the walls. And then she was gone. He glanced around and shook his head. There were few places that the girl could have gone to. Where she went, he would follow. Whether that was to help or harm was her choice to make.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Xion appeared in a clearing of dense woodland. The canopy was thick enough for it to be impossible to tell whether it was night or day. Thorns cracked underneath her feet and tore at the back of her cloak. She had wanted an escape, and there it was, yet she couldn’t recall visiting anywhere like it.</p>
<p><br/>There was only one way – forward – and it was shrouded in a curtain of mist. She took a deep, shaking breath and carried on. She heard rustling behind her. Or perhaps it came from the surrounding foliage; travelling there in such a hurry had disoriented her. “Hello…? Who is it?” She called. She didn’t expect an answer. </p>
<p><br/>“Who do you think?” Came a familiar reply. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” A wall of thorns burst into flame before Axel stepped through. “Getting through here was tough. Who knew that this place would be so overrun with these things?”</p>
<p><br/>“…have you been… following me?” She cautiously stepped around him, eyeing him over. He looked the same as he always did. When she had last seen him, he had just returned from Castle Oblivion and had been telling her not to fight Roxas, to stay away from him if she had to. If only she had followed his advice. </p>
<p>“I know what you did.” Axel started to circle her, like a predator toying with its prey. “I know what you are. I know that you were only doing what you were made to do.”</p>
<p>“I killed him.”</p>
<p><br/>“You did. You killed our best friend.” His voice was more somber than she had ever heard it. “And I can’t forgive you for it… every time I look at you I see his face. Now I’ve spent a long time killing traitors, but you’re not the same as them, are you? I said I’d always be there to bring you back.”</p>
<p><br/>“Traitors?! Axel, I don’t know what you mean…”</p>
<p><br/>“Marluxia, Larxene, the others that left that day… you never saw them again after that, did you? I was the only one who made it out of there alive. Well, now you know why!”</p>
<p><br/>Xion blocked his attack as he lunged at her. The heat from the flames that licked along his weapon seared her face. She couldn’t hold him back for long. She felt pain course through her face. Had he cut her?</p>
<p><br/>“This isn’t what Roxas would have wanted!”</p>
<p><br/>Axel kept on attacking, relentlessly. She blocked and avoided what she could. Tears threatened to spill over as she lashed out at him. She was blind; blood had spilled into her eyes from somewhere. Yet she continued to fight, fully aware that Axel would easily overpower her if he allowed himself to. Axel was an experienced fighter, while she was far less so.</p>
<p><br/>Xion’s breath was heavy. She swayed with each step and eventually fell to her knees. Axel paused with a sharp intake. He approached her and drew a finger along her forehead. It created a crimson stain on both her skin and his fingertips. “I really did a number on you, didn’t I?”</p>
<p><br/>“Y-you did… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have–“ </p>
<p><br/>He placed his finger over her lips. “Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Axel picked her up and carried her through the woods. Her weight grew heavier in his arms when she passed out. </p>
<p><br/>Her eyes blinked open – her head rested against the trunk of a tree. Sunlight hit her face, a sharp contrast from the darkness that had surrounded her before. She attempted to recall what she had been doing. She had transported herself to this world, and for what?</p>
<p><br/>For a moment she could see a figure walking towards her. Her face was obscured, but she could see her hair was blue and she held a heavy, worn-out Keyblade. Even with her limited knowledge, she could tell that it was older than anything that she had ever used or encountered. Her outfit was lined with a translucent fabric; it gave her the impression of wings when the light shone through it. She was ethereal in the light. The beautiful stranger said something that she couldn't hear clearly, but she wished that she could. The inflection in her voice was that of worry and relief - was she there to help her?</p>
<p><br/>“Aqua…?” She blinked and attempted to stand. She had vanished as quickly as she had appeared, leaving her to wonder if she had been a figment of her imagination. There had never been an Aqua in the Organisation. Xion placed a hand to her forehead to feel misshapen skin, slowly healing into a scar. She shuddered. When the three of them had been alone on top of the clock tower, laughing as though nothing in the world could ever tear them apart, how could they have imagined this? She stood up with the help of the tree trunk and continued forward. There was nowhere left to go. She laughed to herself when she finished scouring the area for Axel. Of course he wouldn't take her back to a home she no longer had.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Although she had awoken to a forest without heartless, she was still on edge while she followed the well-trodden path. It was as though it had been laid out before her. She had found herself deep in the woods again, yet no walls of thorns blocked her way this time. Her steps were slow and cautious in case there was anything or anyone in the shadows.</p>
<p><br/>As she continued, the light started to fade. The sun was replaced by fireflies that danced through the air like little guides. Her destination was undetermined; she didn’t know this world enough to possibly know where to go. The fireflies closer to the ground appeared to reveal footsteps, faintly shimmering silver. She rubbed her eyes and carried on, doubting that they were anything but imaginary.</p>
<p><br/>A crescent moon shone through the trees. The rays of light illuminated a small river that trickled by, and the young girl that sat beside it. She held a small notepad in one hand and a pencil in the other and hummed softly as she sketched. Her pale hair and white dress made her think that she had been made from part of the moon itself. </p>
<p><br/>“Hello.” Naminé closed her notebook and held it close to her chest. Each movement was graceful, but something about her made Xion feel as though the girl would disappear if she moved or spoke. “What are you doing here all alone, Xion?”</p>
<p><br/>“I don’t know why I came here, but I had to go… then Axel… he… found me, and…” She started to say. </p>
<p><br/>Naminé pressed a finger to her lips and moved her hair to get a closer look at the damage Axel had done. The wound on her head extended down her face to be level with her eye. She frowned. “Why would he do that…? He could have blinded you.”</p>
<p><br/>“Roxas… I killed him. I’m sorry for– for betraying you… and him…” </p>
<p><br/>She shook her head. “It wasn't a betrayal. I knew your loyalties lay with your friends. It wasn't a sacrifice I should have asked you to make. So I'm... sorry."</p>
<p>“Have you been… effecting my memories? Ever since that day, I keep seeing things and people that I have never known before. Or maybe there’s something wrong with my head…”</p>
<p><br/>“That wasn’t me, Xion. I will have to look into it myself to know what is happening with your memories. But I understand that you would be… hesitant… for me to do that.” She gave her an apologetic smile. “For now, there are others who will take care of the heartless for you, and protect the friends you made. You’re not alone.”</p>
<p><br/>She gazed into the river. Her own face was reflected back at her, dishevelled. The wound had healed over, leaving a scar. It was the only thing that could prove that her encounter with Axel was real. She turned around to find that Naminé had disappeared. "Naminé? Naminé?!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Xion sat on top of the clock tower in Twilight Town. She’d cleared out the heartless, for now. It wouldn’t be long before more arrived. It never stopped; she had been gone for a year, yet others had seemed to carry out her work in the meantime. So Naminé had been right; there were others who wanted to save worlds instead of doom them.</p><p><br/>She noticed three figures laughing below. Hayner, Pence and Olette, surely. If something had happened to them, she would have known. The dull ache in her heart never went away but it could always get stronger. She should go and meet them, tell them that she was alright. She missed their light in her life.</p><p><br/>“Hey, you.”</p><p><br/>“Hey… me?”</p><p><br/>The young boy grinned and sat down beside her. He wore a leather jacket and a tank top, with frayed jeans. He grinned at her despite her confused expression. “Yes, you. Who else is lurking up here?”</p><p><br/>“You, apparently. What are you doing here? As far as I knew, you wanted nothing to do with me. Are you here to finish me off while Naminé isn’t looking?” She faced him. “You look… younger. I’m sorry, you just– look like someone else–“</p><p><br/>He chuckled at her. “And you’d be right. Or you could say that ‘someone else’ looks like me. What’s this about finishing you off? And Naminé?”</p><p><br/>“It’s a long story.”</p><p><br/>“What if I want to hear it?”</p><p><br/>“Not now. Answer my question. What are you doing here? You don’t look like you’re here for the view.”</p><p><br/>“You got me, you got me. I’m here looking for you. You are Xion, aren’t you? Girl wearing a black hood that goes around fighting heartless, then vanishes without a trace?”</p><p><br/>That was an accurate description. She wasn’t an unknown entity any more. Few people knew her, but they knew what she did. “What do you need me for? Have you been following me?” She questioned. </p><p><br/>“I just wanted to meet you, is that bad… sis?”</p><p><br/>Xion blinked her deep blue eyes up at him. “I don’t have a family. I’m not your sister. I don’t even know you.” </p><p><br/>“Us replicas have to stick together.” He hummed. When he recognised her expression he laughed again. “Vexen and the other one– Zexion– started off their little projects again. So here I am. We’re a pair, however different you look to what I expected.”</p><p><br/>What was Vexen aiming for, a replica army? The concept made her shiver. The boy – he was as much of a boy as she was a girl – placed his jacket over her shoulders. She should have been thankful but the information she had been given had shaken her far beyond what the cold breeze could do.</p><p><br/>“Xion? Hey, come on, we’re meant to be a team! The Sora to my… me? Now that he’s out of the picture.”</p><p><br/>“I’m not anyone’s Sora. You’re thinking of Roxas, and he’s… gone. He’s been gone for a while. I’m sorry to disappoint.” She muttered.</p><p><br/>“You couldn’t possibly disappoint me. You look so… down. Like you could use a friend. If not, then just let me stay for a while. Watch the world go by.”</p><p><br/>“I have things to do.” She summoned her Keyblade. He placed a hand on it’s hilt, over her own. She slowly lowered it again, bringing a smile to the boy’s face.</p><p><br/>“Take some time out, Xion. You’re no use to anyone if you’re constantly running into danger. You can rest. You’re not the only source of light in the world.”</p><p><br/>"Source of... light?" A crescent moon of a smile appeared on her face. "You're thinking of someone different." She focused on the golden light of sunset instead of his face. It was easier that way, to imagine a different face beside her, smiling and telling her to relax.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The castle was always the same, yet different. He had learned to walk it’s halls over time, to expect every twist and turn although it all led to the same place. How long had it been? His heart sunk. It had to have been at least a year now. A year with little progress. He held his head up high as he continued walking through the long corridor.</p>
<p><br/>Behind him was a younger girl. She kept herself shrouded under a black cloak, as he did occasionally, but refused to remove the hood. Xion had reluctantly chosen to come with him. She had been seeking Naminé, he recalled, something about losing her in a forest a short while ago. She gazed around the sterile landscape and wondered if this was truly the place that was known as Castle Oblivion. </p>
<p><br/>When they reached the next large hall, Riku paused in front of an odd, egg-like contraption. It held a sleeping boy, curled up with little care in the world. But to her looking at it felt like looking in a broken mirror; correct but not quite. She shook her head. No, they were not the same. She could remember Axel and Roxas, all of the time that they had spent together. Sora didn’t have that. </p>
<p><br/>“Is that Sora? Riku–?”</p>
<p><br/>Riku had vanished, leaving her side to talk to someone else. He was some distance away yet it was still possible for her to overhear their muttered conversation. “I hate to say this, but day she spends alive is a step closer to disaster…!”<br/>“I can keep him alive. He’s in stasis – his heart is safe. He’s still alive, Riku. Only his memories are lost.” The operator of the contraption, another young girl, explained. </p>
<p><br/>“And yet he keeps losing them– to her! How can you explain that?!”</p>
<p><br/>“…is there a reason why you took me here? To show me this? Do you expect me to pity you?” She tightened her grip on her Keyblade. “I’m leaving.”</p>
<p><br/>Naminé took her hand. “Wait–! He bought you here because I wanted to meet you again. I think I can help you, Xion.”</p>
<p><br/>“By ripping whatever I have in place of a heart to give to a boy I’ve never met?! I can’t do that…” Her body shook. “I’m… so tired… of people telling me that dying is the best thing I can do…”</p>
<p><br/>Riku sighed and averted his eyes from the scene of the distressed girl. He took himself to the room’s entrance. The look that Naminé gave him suggested that she saw some deja vu in his motions.</p>
<p><br/>Naminé pulled Xion into an embrace, causing her to drop her Keyblade. “You have a heart, Xion. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be feeling anything right now. What does it want?” She asked her. </p>
<p><br/>“I… I don’t know. But when everything’s over… I want to see Roxas again. And Axel. Everything back to the way it was. Except it’d just be us.” She looked towards Sora and placed a hand on her chest with a sad smile. “That would be great, wouldn’t it, Roxas?”</p>
<p><br/>“You can hear him?”</p>
<p><br/>“…he always used to agree with me when I said we should run away to Twilight Town. Axel… he entertained the idea too, but he always said it was impossible for now. And now, it really is.”</p>
<p><br/>“I’m sorry for what happened to you. It was wrong, to do what we did to you and Roxas. But you know the Organisation better than anyone I know… there is still a way that you can make the better world that your heart longs for. And I think I know why you've been experiencing these flashes of memories that couldn't be your own.” Naminé explained and sat her down. “Sora has multiple hearts inside of him. Multiple memories. I’m sure you’ve seen flashes of them, like Sora’s. Places that you shouldn’t remember, but you do. I believe that your heart is stitched together from these people and their lives and experiences, as well as your own.”</p>
<p><br/>“What does that mean…?”</p>
<p><br/>“That the best thing that you can do is live. I’ll take care of Sora’s body from here. You can take care of his heart, and Roxas’s.” She placed a hand over Xion’s heart. “I know they’re in good hands.”</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>partially inspired by the lovely SaturdayLemon<br/>thanks to you, CryptidGrimnoir137 and Kadabralin for all of your support &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ah, Xion. It has been a while, hasn’t it?” The sound of the robed man froze her in her steps. He towered over her, his hands clasped together behind his back. “I’ve always been curious as to where you went. I suppose you’ve taken up the mantle yourself?”</p><p>“Stop sending Riku after me. I know it was you! If you wanted to find me, you could’ve done it yourself.” She turned around to face him. His face was still obscured by layers upon layers of bandages. “Unless you wanted to avoid doing the dirty work.”</p><p>The old man glared at her. Xion, like all replicas, was a tool. She was one that had served her purpose – to siphon memories from Roxas and Sora – but was still, somehow, alive. Who had reprogrammed her, and for what purpose? </p><p>“Were you waiting for me?”</p><p>He huffed. “I’m coming to take you to where you belong, Xion. And then Naminé. You’re not supposed to be here, in this place. This role was not made for you.” He stepped closer to her, towering over her. “You were right when you said that you were no replacement for Sora.”</p><p>“By that, you mean that you want me dead. I don’t have a home. But Naminé… Naminé has done nothing but help you. Why would you want to do anything to her?!” Her voice was raised as she brandished her Keyblade in front of her. She vanished and reappeared behind him to hit him over the head before disappearing again.</p><p>DiZ was barely hurt by the attack, only dazed enough for her to get away. This world was too restrictive; there were few places to hide. Naminè would stand by her side if she went back into the castle but she didn’t know what Riku would do. Send her back to face him? Take her out himself? She doubted that he would question him. She sat in a tree close enough to see him but not close enough for her heavy breaths to be heard. Fighting him wouldn’t be wise. She was aware that he would beat her easily, and wouldn’t let her get away if he did. </p><p>“I was going to offer you a deal. You can return to Twilight Town, to be with those friends of yours. And in return, I want your memories. Wouldn’t it be nice, to not remember the moment that your blade hit flesh?” He hummed. It was obvious that she was somewhere up there, in the canopy. </p><p>The image made her freeze up. She recalled the exact sensation, the fear that had swiftly been replaced with horror, running away from it all. Her hand clutched at her stomach where the blade had hit Roxas. She felt determination, shock, then searing, never ending pain. Tears rolled down her face but she couldn’t remember when she had started to cry. </p><p>Forgetting it all had been so, so tempting. She had tried, by replacing her memories of the past with new ones. By finding new friends in the faint hope that they would eclipse those who had caused her so much misery. But they had given her the most joy, too, and taught her how to feel before she could feel anything on her own. She owed too much to them to forget.</p><p>“I can’t honour Roxas by forgetting him.” She teleported down from the tree. Xion gritted her teeth at the phantom pain in her stomach. It felt as though she was dying herself; the pain made her vision blur. </p><p>She hit him again and dodged out of the way a second before the metal staff he held, infused with magic, came down to strike her. It was impossible to keep this up but she didn’t feel as though she had any other choice. Xion found herself on the ground, in agony. She couldn’t tell where DiZ was – all of her focus was on the pain, and how she needed it to stop. She could disappear again, travel to another world. But that couldn’t provide her with safety. If she left, then what would happen to Naminé? DiZ had mentioned her sharing her fate…</p><p>“Shouldn’t you pick on someone your own size?” </p><p>A column of fire encircled the old man. Xion started to cough as the smoke started to creep into her. She felt an arm around her, helping her back to her feet. “I’m– I’m sorry, Axel… agh… it hurts so much…” </p><p>“What? Just stand back, alright?” He encircled the area around her to act as a shield while he continued to fight back DiZ. </p><p>The smoke prevented her from seeing the confrontation clearly. She could hear the clashing of metal against metal. She couldn’t tell who was beating back who. The pain in her stomach had numbed, ever so slightly. Xion saw, out of the corner of her eye, one of Axel’s weapons on the ground and the other burnt out. She ran towards it and picked up the burning, spiked disk to lash out with it in one hand and her Keyblade in another. A smile spread across her face, although it didn’t feel like the time to be smiling. For that moment she felt invincible. For that moment. Only that moment, before both weapons had been artfully knocked out of her hands. </p><p>“If only you had been as accepting of your fate as Roxas was, in the end.” DiZ raised his staff again. “But this will be a kindness to you, however much you doubt it.”</p><p>The truth hit her before his weapon could. Roxas was never accepting of what had happened, although he had seemed so. Roxas had been upset, he had been angry, he had been in so much pain… and so was she, before her vision was clouded by a bright, blue light.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t pass out on me again. It’s starting to become a pattern.” </p><p>There was a damp cloth placed against her forehead. The cold sensation made her open her eyes a little. Naminé was knelt down beside her, a worried look in her eyes. Axel stood next to her. He wore a smile on his face despite his broken weapon. </p><p>“There we go. Mornin’, Xion.”</p><p>“…where am I?” She murmured. She could hear the faint sound of birdsong. </p><p>“You’re still outside Castle Oblivion. I took you inside for the night, but with your recent memory complications I didn’t want to risk keeping you there for too long.” Naminé explained. </p><p>“Why are you here? You wouldn’t have heard the fighting outside…”</p><p>Naminé glanced towards Axel. “He came and found me.” Axel didn’t meet her eyes. “And I’m glad he did.” She looked over her shoulder before standing up. “I… have to go now. Stay safe, both of you.”</p><p>Axel coughed. “You went through all of that to save her, and you didn’t even get a thank you.”</p><p>She couldn’t help but giggle underneath her hand and roll her eyes. “It wasn’t just for her… and I think waking me up is enough. What… happened?”</p><p>He offered her a hand and helped to steady her. “Honestly? I don’t know. What you did– I’ve only ever seen it from–“</p><p>“…Roxas.”</p><p>“Yeah.” Axel scuffed his shoes against the ground. “Is it true? That he’s somewhere in there? In… you? Is that why you can do that when he’s… not around? I know you can imitate people, but...”</p><p>Xion nodded and held herself. “Killing me won’t get him back.” She muttered.</p><p>“Yeah, I know. She was sure to tell me that too. And before you ask, yes, I was following you all this way.” He started to walk towards the edge of the world and fixed his eyes on the endless sky. </p><p>Xion followed him. One of his steps equaled around two of hers. “So, Axel… why did you leave me, in the forest?”</p><p>“Oh, I don’t know. But I didn’t really leave you, did I? I’m here now.”</p><p>“How long are we going to be like this… a team?” She asked. They could fight well together. Perhaps Naminé was right when she had told her that she wasn’t alone. Or at least she wasn’t any more. </p><p>“Who knows? But I’m here when you need me, no matter what. Alright?” He ruffled her hair. “I have some scores to settle, but I guess that can wait.”</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was high when she regained consciousness again. She was fully aware of where they were. They were still close to Castle Oblivion, but far enough away that those who may be looking for them wouldn't find them. Neither of them were ready to go anywhere - at least, not across worlds - until they had taken time to rest. “Where do we go now?”</p><p>Axel grinned at her. “Anywhere we want. We’re free. Xemnas can’t tell us what to do.” He roused her awake again when her eyes started to close; even with Naminé’s help, Xion wasn’t quite back to full strength. The two of them had been catching a nap in the branches of a tree. Not the most comfortable spot, at least for the one that had to feel the trunk against his back.</p><p>“So we’re finally doing it, huh? I… guess we’ve been out of the Organization for a while, just not together.” She stretched, looking over her shoulder at him.</p><p>“I guess we are. Let’s get some ice cream for the road! It’s… symbolic, or something, to make our first stop the place we used to go before.”</p><p>There were some people in Twilight Town that would be more than happy to see her again. It would do them good to know that she was still alive; she had neglected to see them when she had last visited. Or perhaps they had forgotten about her and were continuing about their blissful, ordinary lives.</p><p>“Twilight Town it is.” She agreed.</p><p> </p><p>Every street was crowded with people when they arrived. Xion had never seen the usually sleepy town so overrun. She noted the market stalls set up around the square. They had hand-painted signs attached to them, selling fruit, cakes, clothing and medicines. No wonder it was so busy. She hadn’t seen a market being held there before.</p><p>Axel hovered by a stall that sold spiced fruit jellies. He dipped tiny crackers into each of the pots that had been laid out as tasters and tried them for himself. It seemed that he was immune to spice. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to his side, holding a cracker for her to bite.</p><p>She took it and smiled at the taste. Spicy, but not too spicy. “Mm… What is it?” She asked. She glanced over at the seller, a young woman with freckles on her face and bright red hair. The seller grinned at her and showed her the jar it came from.</p><p>“It’s plum.”</p><p>“Thanks for letting us try some.” She said quickly as she led Axel away from the crowds. Neither of them had much money to spend and the jellies had been a little past their price point. Her mind was preoccupied, searching for familiar faces amongst the crowds. Axel seemed preoccupied too, albeit with checking out various stalls. She thought she recognised a mop of spiked blonde hair in the crowd.</p><p>“Hayner!” She called after him before running into the crowds and into a slightly less bustling part of the town. He turned around. Hayner looked a little older than she remembered, and taller. How long had it been?</p><p>“Xion…? Oh, wow, it’s actually you!” He swept her into a hug, almost lifting her off of the ground in excitement. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since you just– vanished! Did that other boy find you? Are you safe? Why are you back now?”</p><p>Xion figured that it would take too long to answer all of his questions. “I’m okay. I promise I’m okay.” She reassured him. “Where are Pence and Olette?”</p><p>The other two children stepped into the alleyway, with Axel in tow. He held five ice creams in his hand. Sea salt. She hadn’t had that flavour in a long time.</p><p>“I met these kids who said they know you. Somehow they convinced me to buy them ice cream. These the friends you made?” Axel handed her an ice cream, which she gratefully accepted.</p><p>She glanced over at Hayner, who looked Axel over. He seemed unimpressed. “His name is Axel. He’s a friend of mine. From… where I came from before. Axel, this is Hayner, Pence and Olette.”</p><p>Pence smiled at him, Olette gave a small wave and Hayner offered him a handshake. Axel took it after a moment. “We should get going before this melts.” He handed the others their ice creams. His had already had a bite taken out of it.</p><p>“Let me get this straight, you’ve been up here before?” Pence asked when they reached the clock tower. They sat down on the edge of the stone.</p><p>“Yep, all the time. We always bought the same ice cream from the same place, too. We used to take turns to buy it, and see who could get back here the fastest.”</p><p>Xion curled up a little, her knees tucked against her chest while she savoured the taste. Her breathing started to get heavier as she thought she would lapse into another memory. Her chest felt heavy. She felt Olette hold onto one of her hands, and Axel loosely wrap an arm around her.</p><p>“Hey.” Axel snapped his fingers to get her attention. “Stay with us. Look around you – you’re surrounded by friends. That’s something you should memorise. If you… don’t want the ice cream, that’s okay.”</p><p>Olette squeezed her hand. “Are you really okay, Xion?” Her question caused the others to look over at her, concerned. Xion nodded and took another bite of her ice cream. It made her mouth feel numb but she enjoyed the sensation.</p><p>She watched her friends laugh together. Xion had dreamed of this so many times. There were some faces missing; some she knew should have been there with them, and some that she could only have known from fragments of memories that didn’t belong to her. She smiled to herself while she turned her attention to the sky. If any of them could see her now, they would be proud of her, or who they had thought her to be. But with Axel and the others with her, she didn't feel like anyone but herself.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Xion pulled her hood up to hide her face. She glanced over at Axel. He was standing in front of the bed he had been sleeping in for the past few nights, his bright red hair still uncovered. She held the gifts that Pence, Hayner and Olette had given to her. They had saved up funds to buy her a seashell necklace, and a ticket for free ice cream for herself and Axel should they ever visit again.</p><p>She carefully put the necklace on. “Are you trying to get others to notice us?” She lightly asked.</p><p>“You weren’t saying anything about being sneaky yesterday.”</p><p>“We were in ordinary clothes yesterday! Now we have to get back to… our version of normal.” She hadn’t quite figured out what that was yet.</p><p>“…and we’ll stop scrounging off of Hayner’s parents? I missed having a proper bed. And food that wasn’t burnt.” Axel took an apple out of a fruit bowl and bit into it. He tossed another to Xion, which she caught.</p><p>Xion laughed. “Whose fault was that? You were the one who wanted to try cooking with magic.” They had slept in the secret base during the first night they had spent in Twilight Town, just as Xion had before.</p><p>“I’d love to see you do better.” He grumbled, although he still wore a smile on his face.</p><p>Hayner opened the door to their shared room. “I thought you were awake already! Do you really have to go? We can keep you here for as long as you want, but mom said you’d have to pay rent…”</p><p>“Yes… for now. You know I’m safe this time. Thanks for letting us stay.” Xion reassured him. She didn’t want to know how he had felt when she had last left them; she had barely had any time to say goodbye. They had said farewell to Pence and Olette the day before; the three of them were busy with a project that day, so they wouldn’t have time to see them off.</p><p>Axel placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll be fine. I’ll take care of her.” He said fondly.</p><p>“You’d better!”</p><p>He chuckled. “Alright, kiddo. We should go now, before the shops open and we get distracted.” Axel pulled his hood over his head and waved to Hayner as they stepped outside. The streets were quieter early in the morning, when the only things that moved were the birds and the early trams.</p><p>Axel opened up a portal. Even he didn’t know where it would take them. Xion stepped through first and he went in afterwards. They found themselves in snow when they opened their eyes again. Deep snow that seeped through their clothing and into their bones.</p><p>“It’s… beautiful.” Xion watched the flakes tumble from the sky and land on her coat and in her hair. She tried to catch one in her palm but it melted against her skin. She struggled to walk through it, though.</p><p>Axel was shivering. “And freezing cold. C’mon, I don’t think we’ll get anywhere with you trudging through it like that.” The much shorter girl didn’t have time to protest before he picked her up and carried her on his back. “Better?”</p><p>“No, wait… put me down.” She slipped off of his back and crept behind a small outcrop of rock. It was impossible to feel her fingers as she started to gather the snow into a ball. When Axel started searching for her, she hit him on the back with the snowball, giggling as she hid again.</p><p>When she poked her head out again, Axel was behind her. A snowball hit the back of her head. “Hey!” She retaliated with another. Neither of them could hide particularly well, with their black coats standing out amongst the pure white snow, but teleportation had its advantages.</p><p>“So… do you want me to carry you now?” He asked, breathless after hours of snowball fighting. Xion let herself get picked up again. Axel was always warm, even in temperatures like these. She stuffed some snow down his back with a smile. He froze and glared at her, silently daring her to do it again.</p><p>“Do you know where we are?” Her voice echoed through the surrounding area. The mountains and climate didn’t seem familiar to her at all. She had been to few worlds compared to Axel. “…I think I can see a village down there.” The settlement was shrouded by low cloud, obscuring it’s exact size.</p><p>“Alright. That’s our first stop.”</p><p>The entrance of the village was a wooden, square arch. It was the only part of the village left untouched. What once were houses were burnt out. There was no smoke; whatever had happened there must have happened a while ago. The metal and wooden hilts of swords poked out of the ground. There had been a battle there, or an ambush.</p><p>“Who’s to say that whoever caused this isn’t still out there?” Axel was surprisingly jovial about the scene. “It could have been someone we know.”</p><p>“…why is that a good thing? I’m tired of fighting old friends…”</p><p>“And you won’t be. I have some jobs to do.”</p><p>Xion let herself go from Axel’s back. She knew that her friend’s role in the Organisation was to purge it of traitors. “…for the Organisation? How many are left?”</p><p>“Xemnas, Luxord, Saïx, Xigbar, and technically us. So that’s six. And I told you, I’m not working for them.” Axel had left out those who had been sent to Castle Oblivion, as well as two more.</p><p>“What about Xaldin and Demyx? Did you… find them already?” The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. Xaldin used to gift her with potions when she was feeling weak, and Demyx wouldn’t be a threat to the Organisation or anyone else. If Axel wasn’t working for Xemnas any more, then who was he killing for?</p><p>Axel let Xion lead him through the destroyed village. “They weren’t hard to find.” He shrugged. “Besides, I’m not the only person who wants them gone. You’ll thank me later.”</p><p>They paused when the snowfall thickened. Xion’s fingers traced over the scar where it was close to her eye. Six more people that would be left with more than scars. She was lucky. Axel had been in the Organisation for far longer than her – he had history with all of them. He had spared her, but she doubted that she would spare anyone else. That was the ruthless friend that she knew.</p><p>“How? Why will I thank you…? Axel, I thought you would stop keeping secrets from me…!”</p><p>“I never said that.” Axel grinned and slung his weapon over his shoulder. He still had to get another disc after one of the pair broke. “That’s an impossible promise to keep. Let’s just say… they wanted to cause you trouble, and I’m doing you a big favour by getting them out of the way.”</p><p>She held onto her chin, deep in thought. Without the Organisation around, they could truly be free of Xemnas forever. The cold air felt fresh when she inhaled. Freedom was a distant memory, yet she knew nothing of it. It was just out of reach. That still left the matter of Riku. She exhaled, the air in front of her crystallising within seconds. “How long will you be gone for…? You’re going to leave, aren’t you, to find them…?”</p><p>“Who knows? But not yet. I’ve still got plenty of time to spend with you, they can wait a little longer. It's not as if you're helpless without me.” Axel held her close to shield her from the snow while they continued descending the mountain. His heat kept her from freezing when the wind picked up. She glanced back at what remained of the village and shook her head. Whoever had caused it, they were long gone. In front of them was a wide expanse of world to explore. A cold, foreboding world, but if they wanted to leave, then they could easily travel to somewhere that was more friendly. She formed a ball of snow in her hands and threw it at him, giggling while she darted off into the fog. </p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gale-force winds whipped up the once peaceful looking snowflakes into a frenzy. Xion paused and narrowly resisted getting blown over. Axel hadn’t caught up with her yet. She glanced behind her. If she went back on herself to try and find him, would she even be going in the right direction? She had quickly gotten herself turned around.</p>
<p>“Axel? Axel!” She called. Her words were carried away by the wind but they didn’t go anywhere. The mountains wouldn’t answer her calls. Soon, she had grown breathless from crying out her friend’s name. “…I can’t believe I’ve lost him again…”</p>
<p>Xion noticed indentations in the snow. Footprints, recent footprints that hadn’t yet been covered over. They didn’t match her own, so someone else had crossed the same stretch of snow. She tried calling out for Axel again. A figure, one that looked nothing like Axel, appeared to flit through the trees, somehow cloaking itself in the air.</p>
<p>“Wait… who are you? Can you– can you help me find my friend?” She said weakly, doubting that she would get a reply.</p>
<p>“You know who I am! I’m you.” The other responded with a masculine tone that sounded somewhat similar to Roxas’s, or another person’s voice that Xion didn’t recognise. There was something… corrupted about it, as though it was a kind of glitched machine.</p>
<p>“No I don’t–! Just… tell me where Axel is!”</p>
<p>“Poor, poor Ven.” He sneered. He stepped through the fog, wearing armour and a mask that hid his features. “Always left behind.”</p>
<p>“Vanitas, stop it!” How did she know the name of this mysterious boy? She summoned her Keyblade and stepped closer to him. “I… I know you’re not real. You– I got rid of you!“ She swung her Keyblade at thin air.</p>
<p>Memories didn’t talk. She had learned that quickly. But the figure – Vanitas – had called her by a different name. Figments of memory never knew her as Xion; it was impossible for them to do so. She took a deep breath. Her legs were shaking with some deep-rooted fear that she could find no source for other than Vanitas.</p>
<p>Xion hopelessly gazed up at the sky. The snowstorm continued to cover it in dark clouds, but she could picture the stars shining down at her. “Axel… a-are you still out there…?” She made no effort to make herself heard.</p>
<p>She blinked away tears, afraid that they might turn to ice on her face before they could reach the ground. A small, blue light appeared in her hand. It lit up the entire area and revealed that she had made it quite far down the mountain. There were plenty of opportunities for Axel to have lost her. She had ran away while they were having a snowball fight; she had thought that Axel was following her.</p>
<p>Walking with the light in front of her was comforting. It made her feel as though someone else was with her despite being completely and utterly alone. Was this how Sora had felt to everyone else? A beacon of light?</p>
<p>“A beacon… that’s it…” She murmured. The light grew brighter in her hand. Xion squeezed her eyes shut. It had made her black out before. She couldn’t risk that again, not here. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see another faint figure running away from her. She gave chase.</p>
<p>“Wait!” She still carried the light with her. Whoever the stranger was – memory or not – the thick snowfall shielded them from view. “Come back!”</p>
<p>“Roxas!”</p>
<p>Xion fell back against the snow. She rubbed her head and stood back up. The light in her palm hadn’t gone out. She gazed up at Axel and immediately hugged him. “You’re– you’re okay! I’m sorry– I thought you were right behind me–“</p>
<p>“I thought I saw Roxas, running through the snow–“</p>
<p>“He led you back to me.” Xion told him softly, holding onto him as if he would disappear if she let go. “His light…”</p>
<p>Axel smiled over at her, although he didn’t say anything. He pointed at a cluster of bright lights below them. It would be possible for them to walk there, if a little slow. “See <em>those</em> lights? That’s a city. A huge city, and it looks like they’re celebrating. We should go and join them.”</p>
<p>“Anything is better than this mountain.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It took them a while to walk to the edge of the city. The snowstorm had eased off before stopping, revealing a clear night sky. Xion almost fell asleep on Axel’s back while he carried her. Both of them felt like icicles. Axel hovered around the large gates with Xion by his side until someone stopped them.</p>
<p>“You’ll miss the fireworks if you stay here.” The stranger looked them over. He looked like a merchant, carrying a bag of spices with him. “Oh… you look like you’re about to freeze to death. I have a fire lit at home, with a beautiful view from the balcony. Come on, I’ll take you in for the night.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, but–“</p>
<p>“Look at her! She’ll catch something if she doesn’t get warmed up soon!” He insisted, glaring at Axel. His gaze warmed a little when he saw Xion.</p>
<p>“…thank you. We’d love to watch the fireworks… and get warmed up.” Xion interrupted either of them before they could say anything. It could give them an opportunity to dry off their cloaks and eat some of the local food before they went on their way.</p>
<p>Inside the merchant’s home, Xion and Axel sat by the fire. She watched the merchant’s young children play with unlit lanterns. “…do they actually fly?” She asked them. They nodded in response.</p>
<p>“All you have to do is light them. You two can have one each if you like. We send them off with the fireworks.” Their father added. “They’re starting now!”</p>
<p>Xion sprung up with the children and ran over to the balcony to watch. Axel took the two lanterns and stood beside her while the sky exploded into colour. He lit the lanterns with a finger, swearing the merchant’s children to secrecy. “Ready?” He asked her before they let the lanterns float through the air.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>There was a castle ahead of them, with gardens of flowers lining the path toward it. Xion had never seen any other building look so beautiful. She had been to a world like this one before, but she had never been so close to that world’s castle. The Organisation’s missions hadn’t led her that far. Axel didn’t share the same wonder. He had been there before, clearly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We can go inside, if you want. Everyone else is.” Axel told her. They were already caught up in the river of people travelling to the castle. Their dark cloaks stood out against the brightly-coloured dressed dresses and suits that surrounded them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She grabbed his hand and weaved through the crowds to get inside. The hall that greeted them was glistening with jewels, with walls lined with gold. Couples danced gracefully, perfectly in sync with each other and the classical music that the band was playing. To her it looked like one of the complicated cuckoo clocks that had been sold in the market in Twilight Town.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Want to dance, Axel?” Xion smiled up at him and let down her hood. They stood out, but the guests at the event seemed to be far too engaged in what they were doing – dancing, laughing, eating tiny cakes and drinking champagne – for any of them to notice. She offered a hand to him as she had seen others do.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Axel rested against the wall and watched the dancing guests. It was clear from his dismissive expression that he was there only because of her, not to get any enjoyment out of it himself. “Me? No, I don’t dance. No way.” He insisted.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I haven’t danced before either! But it can’t be that hard... everyone else seems to know what they’re doing.” She glanced over at the dance floor. Even the small children were able to copy what the adults were doing from the sidelines. She couldn’t imagine growing up in a place like this. “Please?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He held a hand against his forehead and sighed. “Okay, fine! Just this once.” Axel gave Xion his hand. They didn’t move to the dance floor, instead staying on the outskirts so that they didn’t disturb the intricate dance of the guests who were actually invited. “So... how do we do this?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s easy... I hold on to your shoulders, and you place your hands right... here.” She moved his hands to rest against the small of her back. “It’s not what they’re doing, exactly... but if we follow their steps, like this, we’re dancing!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion led him through the steps. Axel was awkward in following her, slow, clumsy. Roxas would have been a much better suited dance partner for her; he had been just as light on his feet as Xion was. “You’re doing great!” She told him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He waved off the compliment. “You’re just saying that...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, I mean it!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Who is this party for, anyway? Everyone here looks the same to me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion’s eyes scanned the people around them for someone dressed in more elaborate clothing. The guest of honour was supposed to stand out. “...something to do with a prince or princess, looking for someone to marry.” She informed him. That was what the conversations she had overheard had pointed to, at least. “I can’t see them, though... she must be in the centre of the dance.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Several heavily-armed guards entered the room and stood guard at the entrance while other guards mingled with the guests. The band hadn’t stopped playing, so she could only guess that this was normal. Their presence made Axel tense up.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We’re not doing anything wrong, just by being here. They’re not going to–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He cupped a hand over her mouth before she could say anything else. Axel led her around a corner to press against a wall, holding her close. The hallway was filled with art, likely worth a large amount. If anyone caught them, they would almost certainly be accused of trying to steal it. He spotted an open window and picked Xion up for her to sit on the ledge. When she jumped down into the flower patch below, he followed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We’ve ruined their flowers now.” Xion was laughing. “...wow. I can’t believe we were inside... and you’re not a terrible dancer either.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You think? Yeah, right.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Axel was led down in the flower patch with his arms behind his head. All of the guards were busy inside; nobody would mind the two of them staying there for a while. The stars were brighter in this world, he noticed.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Their travels took them to another town. It was far less sleepy than Twilight Town, filled with people of all kinds. The place appeared to be a melting pot of all worlds. As the my travelled through, the architecture changed, inspired by many different places. It was a hub, a place of connection.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion somehow recalled the pathways through the winding streets. “It was much quieter before...” She said under her breath. “Where did they come from?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Must’ve lost their worlds to the heartless.” Axel commented as though the events that he was describing – the destruction of worlds – were somehow unremarkable. “Refugees.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion had been fighting heartless in each of the worlds that they had travelled to. She knew that it wasn’t enough; even if she cleared out all of the heartless in an area, they would crawl out of cracks or reappear in some other way soon enough. Her actions didn’t serve as a solution but only to delay the inevitable. No matter how strong she grew to be, the heartless would just keep coming.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Is there any chance that they could get their worlds back, or are they refugees... forever?” The faces of the crowds were overwhelmingly disheartened, terrified of their uncertain future. She wished that she had some hope to give them, but reserves of hope had run dry lately. What little hope they had could only be given by friends. Those with connections offered hope far more securely than strangers ever could.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Who knows? Not me, that’s for sure. That’s something for someone else to ponder over. As for us, we’re going to find somewhere comfy to set up for the night.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His answer gave her little in the way of comfort or certainty. She followed him through the streets towards a small hotel. They had been sleeping underneath the stars for most of the previous nights; most of their days had ended that way. There had been a night or two in each world, before travelling to another. Xion felt as though they had explored the entire universe. Apparently there were still more worlds out there, though.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“One room, two beds, one night. Your room is on the second floor, here’s your key.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Once they reached their room, Axel collapsed on top of one of the beds with a content sigh. “Y’know, this was a good run. I’m going to miss it.” He mused.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...you’re talking like this is over already.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Axel sat up a little and looked across at her. “It is. I told you that this wouldn’t last forever. We had to go our own ways eventually. You hunting heartless, me hunting nobodies.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I... I know.” Xion glanced at her hands, clasped together in her lap. “Are you sure I can’t come with you? You’re going back to them, aren’t you? To where everything started?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m going back to find them, yeah, but not ‘cause I’m under their orders. That’s not how I work any more.” He glanced away from her. “I don’t think you should. You’re too... important. I have to protect you... I can’t lose another friend.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Important...? I’m no more important than you!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He coughed under his hand to clear his throat. “I meant that you’re important to me. You don’t have to be part of some big cosmic plan for that.” Axel sat down next to her. “There’s some things that I have to do alone. I’m the assassin here.” He grinned at her to try and lessen her frustration.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...but we should do it together! I don’t care about how dangerous it is, two against one is always better! Don’t leave me alone again, Axel!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She almost sounded like another kid that had shown up and started spouting nonsense about friendship. “I came back for you, didn’t I? I kept my promise. If you need me, I won’t be far.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“And if you need me?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t push it, I can handle myself.” He laughed and hugged her close. “Why are you so worried about me? I know these guys, I’ve known them for years. If you know their moves, you can beat them. Or at least make a good show of it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“But if you need me, you know I’m here... that’s what best friends are for.” <span>Her voice sounded deeper for a moment, a slight overlay over her own. She didn’t notice it.</span></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Ha... yeah. I didn’t mean to doubt you, Ro– Xion.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion blinked at him. Had he seen Roxas’s face instead of hers, if only for a second? “I know you didn’t mean it... we’re both here for you, if you need us.” She held her hand to her heart. It ached inside of her chest, for lost friends and a life gone unfulfilled. For the three of them to, one day, be together again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He had been gone when she had woken up. She couldn’t recall when she had fallen asleep that night. Only that she had been curled up against Axel for warmth and comfort. He must have been with her; his bed in the hotel room was unslept in. Xion stretched, ready to meet the day. Wherever Axel had gone - straight to the World That Never Was, or somewhere else - he clearly didn't want her to follow him.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>Exploring new worlds – or revisiting old ones – was less of an adventure when she was alone. But Xion couldn’t stop moving, not even for a day. Although heartless would return to a world as soon as she turned her back on it, others would be consumed while she lingered in one place.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The deserts whipped sand in her face and made her fight blind. It seared her eyes. Her instinct to shut them tight only caused her eyelids to feel like rough sandpaper. She realised that she had nothing left to swing at and retreated to the safety of an abandoned building. Only two of its walls were left standing. It was cover from the wind while it still blew in the same direction. She shook sand from her cloak and waited for the sandstorm to ease off.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>After some time, the wind slowed and the sand stopped battering against herself or the building. It was still difficult to see; it wasn’t quite the end of the storm yet. But something in her head or her heart told Xion that she couldn’t afford to waste any more time there. She pulled up her hood and crept out of the shell of a building.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A grey head poked out of the dunes. It was decorated with a similar symbol to the heartless she had fought. Another kind of heartless, or some strange native species of snake? The creature rose out of the ground to reaveal a twisted, humanoid figure. It’s limbs morphed and tangled themselves in unnatural, unnerving configurations as it moved aimlessly around. It slithered underneath the sand dunes again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When it reappeared, it was behind her. It’s mouth gaped open, saliva dripping from its fangs. Xion turned around and attempted to hit it but the strange creature only slipped away again. The gargled sounds it made sounded like distorted laughter.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Dusks were a somewhat common sight. They tended to congregate around the World That Never Was. She recalled visiting the basement of the building that the Organisation met in and seeing nothing but Dusks. Another of Vexen’s projects, like her. She had overheard something about an attempt to modify them, to somehow attach their abilities to that of a more powerful nobody. These, however, were only the basic kind. What were they doing there, so far away?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The creature lunged at her again from the sand, which provided her with an opportunity to hit it. Some forms of magic, she had learned, could make heartless resurface. She casted a water spell and pushed the lesser nobodies to the surface. Once she had defeated most of them, the one that remained slipped away. Xion gave chase, her feet sinking into the sand as she ran. The dusk vanished again and she came to a halt.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Look at you. How long has it been since I last saw your face?” Xigbar approached her with a wide smile. His single eye looked her over. “It must have been a year, even more– ever wonder why we never tried to chase you down?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion was sure that she had changed very little since he had last seen her. Her coat was more worn and tattered. The hair underneath her hood, once black, had lightened. She had spent a long time under the sun, no longer kept inside due to her weak condition. When the sun hit it, it appeared to be a dark shade of brown. The scar that ran down her face was the only significant change.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I get it.” He chuckled. “You always were the quiet type. Strange thing, aren’t you? Vexen’s little puppet. As if! Showed up, killed one of our members, and left without a trace. And look at you now.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Something about him never failed to make her feel small, insignificant. A mouse surrounded by lions. A nucience, yet too small to make a good meal out of. “I... don’t understand.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’ve managed to get by for this long. Alone. There must be some strength in you after all... well, after you sucked it all out of Roxas!” The Dusk appeared behind him. Without looking, Xigbar took out a gun and shot it. It crumpled to the ground, a deflated tangle of limbs, before vanishing. “If Vexen was around... he’d be proud of you. But he’s not, so I have to do the honours– I have a deal to make with you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t... take deals.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Why are you so tense?! Look, I’ll put the guns away!” He did as he said and slipped them underneath his coat. Xigbar had sharp aim; if he had been intending to kill her, then he would have done so while she had been distracted with fighting the Dusks. “There. The thing is, you’ve already been filling your end. You see, when you kill a heartless, the heart is released from it’s prison. We need those hearts to regain our own.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...which is nothing to do with me. I’m not going to help you.” Xion insisted. She glared at him, meeting his eye. “When I left, it was for good.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I see that look. Reminds me of someone else... strange how you somehow picked that up.” He rested a hand against Xion’s shoulder. The two of them were close enough for Xigbar to feel nerves radiating off of her. “Remember, you’ve already taken up the offer. The price I’ve given you? You’ve been paying it ever since you left. Funny, that. What’s it worth, then, keeping your pride? Losing a few people– losing a few worlds?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I didn’t agree to anything.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...that means I don’t have to give you anything in return. If you turn your weapon in now... you’ll make yourself a whole lot of enemies. Friends don’t stay friends when you’ve let their worlds turn to dust. At least this way you can get something out of it. It’s what Axel would have done.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>Would</em> have done? “You... can say nothing– about what Axel would do.” With every breath she took she dug the blade deeper into his chest. Nobodies like Xigbar were resilient creatures. A single wound wouldn’t kill them. “Tell me what you did to him!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Axel? I haven’t done a thing... yet.” Xigbar grinned widely. Xion heard a faint click; the sound of one of his arrows docking itself into place. She ripped her Keyblade out of him and teleported away. Despite his wound, he stood up, his hand covering his chest.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Another click. Pain bloomed across her shoulder, then her side. Was it bruised, or had it hit its target completely? Her cloak could protect her from some damage, as Xigbar’s had. She dropped her keyblade, unable to use it. In the desert, injuries like these could get infected quickly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thanks for the heads up, poppet!” She could focus her senses for long enough to overhear Xigbar and watch him disappear.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion managed to stumble back across the dunes to the abandoned building. She lifted up her cloak. Her side was only bruised but his shot had damaged her shoulder. She didn’t intend to see how. In her feverish state she wished that Naminé was there to heal her, or that Axel and Roxas were able to make her laugh through it. She wished for her friends in Twilight Town to comfort her. She thought of the last few days that they had all spent together. It all felt like such a long time ago then.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>An island surrounded by sky instead of sea. Her heart ached for friends with faces that she couldn’t see clearly. A strong, brown-haired youth who ruffled her hair and sparred with her when she was feeling strong enough. A girl who was more like an older sister, graceful, magical. Swinging a wooden Keyblade around in a garden while they watched, impressed with her growth.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Pain shot through her chest. It was cold, and it spread. The laughter of a mocking boy– or was it an old man? The memory was fuzzy; she couldn’t quite make out anything but despair. She gave in to the ice and let her veins run cold.</p>
  <p>Two smiling faces among many sinister ones. One had a blank face and sad eyes, a weak child with nothing to hold onto until they had given her something, sculpted features out of a canvas. The other was... a liar, a killer, and the closest friend that she had ever had.</p>
  <p>A sudden rush of adrenaline hit her, the need to fight for her life. There was no calm acceptance of fate, only the clashing of metal and bitter tears that stung her eyes. This could not be fate. But she couldn’t fight any longer. Then more pain, unbearable pain, nothing steady or numbing.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The sound of laughter, the joyous laughter of children. They ran through the trees, playing hide-and-seek or something like it. A boy with a distant gaze but a warm smile. He looked as though he could see right through her but there was nothing to be seen. The two of them were just kids again, before anything had happened to test their bond. She knew that it was unbreakable. There was another child too... a girl... a girl that was waiting for her, somewhere... she just had to find her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She felt as though she was floating. Weightless, breathless. Every thought in her mind slowed whether or not it had been racing before. It was what she needed; her head was so tired. A calming voice, soothing and familiar, softly told her to rest. Slipping into sleep was effortless. It would be over before she knew it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The gentle lapping of water against her face. She was alone. She raised her head. Memories would never be so clear as the island shore looked to her. The water was a crisp shade of blue, and she could see tiny fishes swimming past her if she squinted. She made an attempt to stand but she couldn’t put any pressure on her shoulder.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Using her other arm and a small rock that jutted out of the waves, she managed to climb out onto the shoreline. There she sat for a short while. She expected to feel faint, after a few moments more, and a willingness to slip away. But she was still sitting there an hour later, watching the waves move ever inward with the tide.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion. Her name was Xion. She knew the name of the place that she had found herself in despite never landing there before. The Destiny Islands. A tiny world, seemingly shielded. If it hadn’t been, then she would have visited it before. A safe heaven, a sanctuary. If her heart had led her there, then she had to be careful. Slipping too far into others' memories was a dangerous thing; she may have never woken up.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>The sand still felt strange underneath her feet compared to grass or hard, cold stone. It soaked up the warmth of the sun and filled her with it despite the strong sea winds. She stayed on the outcrop for a little while, watching the waves roll in. There were gulls soaring over the water, and small species of crabs, but no boats on the horizon or in the shore. The island must be paradise, if nobody ever wanted to leave.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Xion, isn’t it?” The voice from behind her was sweet. It sounded like what strawberries would taste like if they were dipped in sugar or chocolate.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion brushed the sand off of her cloak and turned around to face her. Her heart wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming joy and longing that overpowered her when she met her eyes.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Kairi...” She breathed, in a tone that was much unlike her own and choked with tears yet also sounded exactly the same. A smile lit up her face as she ran over and hugged her tight. “I’ve finally found you!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The younger girl could feel Kairi’s sharp intake of breath when she first heard her speak. She felt tears fall against the material of her cloak, darkening the already black fabric. “What’s wrong? I... don’t know what came over me just then.” She tried to pull herself out of the embrace but Kairi held onto her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You sounded just like Sora... like he was– calling out to me... I can’t believe I heard that, I’m so sorry for thinking–“ She murmured.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion squeezed her gently, pulling back with a hand against her own heart. “You could say that I’m... looking after him, for now. He must’ve wanted to see you terribly... because I wouldn’t remember this place. I wouldn’t know to bring myself here.” She admitted. “It must be lonely, if you’re the only person that lives here. Maybe I was sent here to keep you company.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sora’s... in your heart?” She wiped her tears away with her hand, a gentle smile on her face. “It’s almost funny... he let me stay in his heart, once... is there any way to release him?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Only by unlocking my heart. And because of some... complications, that isn’t possible.” Her nature as a replica made such an action impossible without losing herself completely. She had barely any kind of heart to unlock. “I’m sorry, you probably don’t want to be stuck here with me, reminding you of him...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi grabbed her hand and led her across the beach and towards a large palm tree that was bent to serve as a bench. Close by was a treehouse. She sat down on the wood and patted down a spot beside her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>For a moment, the island felt like home. She closed her eyes and felt the wind through her hair, the faint warmth of Kairi by her side while the sun shone down on both of them. Relief flooded over her. She had never known home, and neither had Roxas. The closest approximation that she had ever had was her short-lived time in Twilight Town. Even that she had been forced out of.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you, Sora.” She mumbled under her breath.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“How long have you been wearing that cloak, Xion? We should get you something else... I have something that might fit you!” Kairi broke the peaceful silence as she led her towards a small collection of houses.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>So other people had lived there, once. Why was she alone? Kairi was only a few years older than her, at most, and she had been told many times that she was too young to understand most things. She followed her into one of the houses and upstairs to her room. It was painted pink, with plants on the windowsill.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“How about one of these?” She rooted through her clothes and put some on her bed. A white shirt, paired with a dark skirt. A pale dress with flowers printed onto it in many shades of purple and a simple white summer dress that reminded Xion of Naminé. She wondered what she was doing now; still in Castle Oblivion, most likely, caring for Sora.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She chose the first dress. The silken fabric felt far softer against her skin than anything else she had been given. Her hand traced over a few streaks in her hair that had appeared to have faded to a shade of brown. A deep purple bruise could be seen on her shoulder. It would be difficult to use it for a while. Xion couldn’t help but think of what Axel and Roxas would think of her. They should have gone to the beach together. Xion was pulled from her thoughts from Kairi tapping her on her good shoulder.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You look beautiful! What do you want me to do with the cloak?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m keeping it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi quirked an eyebrow. “Doesn’t it remind you of them?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“The Organisation? Yes, but... it’s mine. And it keeps me safe. Travelling worlds is risky... at the best of times.” She attempted to explain. The thick, dark fabric was of little help in the sweltering heat of the islands’ climate but it would be of need again. Xion traced her fingers over the cloak. Its texture was somewhat akin to leather. “I know that I will have to go back out there again...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi took both of her hands into her lap and sat down on her bed. “Do you <em>have</em> to go?” She squeezed them to make Xion look up at her. “You don’t sound like you <em>want</em> to.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I know the pattern... I find some shred of happiness, and someone appears and rips it away again... so I go. This won’t last for long.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Then I’ll protect you, and stop anyone from taking you away!” Her sudden defiance made Xion smile. “You can stay here for as long as you want to. This is your home too. But... I’d like something, in return.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What is it?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This is my home, and I don’t want anything to happen to it again. I don’t want you to think I’m getting in your way, but–“ She grinned at her. “–I’d like you to show me how to use a Keyblade.”</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>She summoned her Keyblade and stood behind Kairi, holding it out to her. “If it doesn’t accept you straight away, try again. I can’t see why it wouldn’t.” She instructed. A smile lit up her face when Kairi took the hilt. “Hold it like this. You’re doing it backhanded. It’s easier to knock the blade away like that.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi adjusted her grip. “If I’m holding your Keyblade, then how are we going to spar?” She asked as she held the Keyblade out in front of her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion stepped in front of her. “Hm... I guess we won’t. But we will, later. I wouldn’t want to hurt you.” She paced around with her hand against her chin. “No dummies, no willing opponents... how is a girl to train?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Wait! I can ask a friend to join us!” Kairi excitedly piped up.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She nodded in response. She didn’t know any of Kairi’s other friends but if she knew them, then they must be trustworthy. Unlike her own friends, she couldn’t imagine Kairi to attract any less than the purest of hearts. Or the most lost ones. That was how she had found her and the islands, after all. She looked out to the clear, bright blue sea. She guessed that she wasn’t lost any more.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I just remembered, he said he’d visit a while ago. You’d like him. He can be a bit cold sometimes, but he’ll warm up to you quickly enough! Don’t worry, I’ve known him since I was a kid!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...if you mean Riku, I’ve already met him. I don’t want to see him again, not yet. We have... business I don’t want to settle.” She muttered. Xion watched Kairi’s face fall. She hadn’t wanted to dampen her sunny mood but she couldn’t face him yet. “I’ll figure something out.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You don’t have to be scared to hurt me! If anything happens, you’ll have to patch me up. You’re not the one with a Keyblade now.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her mischievous giggle made her give in. “Fine. You attack and I’ll try to block you.” Xion instructed. Kairi straightened up and narrowed her eyes before she swung the Keyblade at her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Too obvious. Again. Try a different angle.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She and Kairi continued with the exercise for a short while longer, until Kairi started to get out of breath. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she landed on her feet in the sand and sweat dripped from her forehead. Xion supposed that she should demand less of her; Kairi had never used a Keyblade before. “Try again.” Xion repeated, using a barrier to repel her attacks. Her time on the island had allowed her to regain some strength and the use of her dominant arm.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi used her barrier as a springboard to leap into the air. The Keyblade went down against her and knocked her to the ground. She summoned the Keyblade back to her hand and allowed it to vanish into the air. Kairi ran over and crouched down beside her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you alright!? I’m so sorry, did I hurt you–?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her concern was met with laughter. “You did good. I’m impressed.” Xion took Kairi’s hand to help herself up, stretching. “Don’t worry. It was only a scratch. You should be really happy with yourself today. You know... you should find a proper Master to teach you, if you’re serious about this. I... didn't exactly have one, but I made the best of what I had." She recalled similarly long days training with Axel and Roxas. Before them, training had been something that she had dreaded. Vexen had fought with her, or set heartless or other creatures against her, until she could only fight with desperation.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You know I am!” Kairi nudged her. The sun had started to go down. If she hadn’t been serious, then she would have suggested that they went inside for the night. They tended to spend the night together, playing board games and sharing stories. “But I don’t think I can do that without a Keyblade of my own...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The metal of Xion’s Keyblade glinted in the dying sunlight as it materialised in front of them. “Then you can share mine. I’ll... try not to find myself too far away from you.” She knew, deep in her heart, that it wasn't truly hers. The Kingdom Key, Sora had called it. Perhaps Sora would have liked it to go to one of his closest friends, if only for a while.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re right here, silly! And you’re not going anywhere without me. Promise?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Promise.” Xion placed her hand over Kairi's to move it to the handle of the Keyblade, to show her the correct way to hold the weapon. She was silent. She didn't tend to make promises lightly, not after everything that had happened with Roxas and Axel. But this one she hoped that she could keep.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>Waves gently lapped against the shore. The full moon, as bright as always, filled the area with a silver glow. It was winter, or that was what Kairi had told her. She had supposedly arrived late into the summer months. The islands appeared to be a place of eternal summer. She had never seen rain there, nor snow. Occasionally there were storms, far, far off in the distance, but the weather on the island was always clear. She couldn’t help but think that Kairi’s presence had something to do with the serenity of this place.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion held a small carving knife. She had taken the tool from a wooden shed that had been filled with many others like it. Kairi had said that they were used for growing vegetables or catching and cooking fish to eat. She used the knife to hack away at a piece of driftwood that she had found on the shore. It was as though the sea had given it to her. The motion of the knife along the wood was rhythmic. She sliced off small slivers at a time, careful not to cut off too much. It had to be perfect.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What are you doing out here? It’s late.” Kairi asked her. Her voice was heavy from sleep; what had woken her up? She sat down beside her, her legs swinging against the rock while the waves tried to reach her toes. “Can you not sleep? Nightmares again? Or... memories?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, I was just... focused. That’s all. You sound tired... go back to bed, Kairi. Don’t wait for me, I’ll sleep when I’m done.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What is it?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s a Keyblade. I was meant to keep it a surprise... it’s for you. I know that it may as well be a stick, but... it’s something.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi hugged her from behind. “It’s perfect! Now I won’t want to use it... you put so much effort into making it for me...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion finished rounding off the last edge. She took a seashell from nearby and slotted it into a hole that she had carved out in the hilt of the Keyblade. “There. If it breaks, the shell will piece it back together... until the shell breaks.It’s infused with a spell. It only works on the islands, though.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She took the wooden Keyblade and held it up to the moonlight. Xion noticed that it looked similar to another wooden Keyblade that she could recall. An inspiration, of sorts. The mock Keyblade that she could picture had been worn, and made with finer craftsmanship than she could manage. She gave it to Kairi while she closed her eyes, listening to the waves.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What’s a sparring match supposed to look like? A match between equals?” Kairi asked. Even if they sparred, it would take a while for Kairi to catch up.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion opened her eyes and thought for a moment. “...like an intricate dance. If you know your opponent well, their moves will be like second nature to you. You know their moves, each and every step... and your aim is to make them stumble. A well-matched fight is... beautiful. You should have seen Axel and Säix fight... it was like a light show when they went at each other.” She rested her head on her hand. “You can tell when two people have history together.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Were they trying to kill each other?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...sometimes. It was difficult to tell which were friendly. But it would always end in a stalemate, and Axel would come back laughing about how hard he beat him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi took the wooden Keyblade and held it out in front of her. “Was that what it was like, with them? Did anything ever happen to you?” Her eyebrows furrowed together.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...most of them forgot about me. I was a puppet, a tool, or nothing at all... but I can’t say that I would erase it all, if I had a chance to.” She explained. Many members simply saw her as a blank face, the pure, undiluted form of a replica. A vessel in every sense of the word. “Without them, I would never have met Roxas, or Axel... and I wouldn’t have met you.”</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Wood met metal as the girls sparred together. Xion swiftly vanished, only to reappear behind Kairi and tap the flat edge of the blade against her shoulder. “I win.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s not fair! No teleporting this time. I won the last time!” Kairi crossed her arms as though she was a poor loser. She had lost enough times to Xion to laugh it off. “Come on, lets get inside.” She said after a few moments.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion took it as a cue to go back to the sleepy crowd of hut-like houses that made up the island’s population. She only turned back around when she noticed that Kairi had been lagging behind. Her friend was still stood on the beach. Beside her stood a familiar figure; taller than either of them, with silver hair and a smile on his face.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re early! It’s not even spring yet.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...am I not allowed to visit now? Is this not my home too?” Riku pretended to look hurt. Kairi playfully shoved him in return as they started to walk down the beach together.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion wondered if they were reminiscing over their childhoods, or if Riku had told her anything about what he had been doing. What had Riku said about Sora, about her? She ran down the hillside, her shoes sinking into the sand as she stood in front of Kairi.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Xion? What are you doing here?” Riku didn’t pull out his weapon. Instead, he stopped and watched her with a blank expression. He looked confused. The last time that they had encountered each other had been in Castle Oblivion. “How long have you been here? Kairi–?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“She showed up here a while ago, alone. I let her stay here, and she’s helping me learn how to fight.” Kairi explained as she pushed Xion behind her with her arm. “How do you know her, Riku?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s a long story.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“He tried to kill me–!” Xion blurted out. She rushed forward to stand in front of her again, protective. “We made a deal, and I went back on it. He’s been after me ever since. Go on and tell her I’m wrong!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku sighed while he watched Kairi’s eyes widen. She knew what he was capable of but she had enough faith in him to be sure that he wouldn’t go so far. “No, you’re right. I did.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“How did it happen? Riku, what did you try and make her do?!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It was... for Sora. It always was. Getting him back... required her to go, because she was draining his memories. She’s why Sora isn’t here.” His tone was gentle, a far cry from the Riku that Xion knew.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That doesn’t make it right! I... I miss him too, every day, but...” She wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “...Sora’s still with us. Right... here.” She placed a hand over her heart and then over Riku’s. “He always will be.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku held onto Kairi’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Xion thought that she had heard a sniffle come from him, or a choked sob. Riku was one of the strongest people that she knew. She doubted that he would ever get so upset that he would be able to cry. Not in front of her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I know. How do you know that she hasn’t done anything to your memories too?” He asked. His eyes shot daggers at Xion. “It’s not her fault that she does it, but... it’s what she is. She steals memories and traps hearts. It’s what she was made for. I need to know that she isn’t doing the same to you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I... remember things so much clearer since she arrived. Memories from when we were kids, every moment with Sora... every bit of it feels more fresh and alive when she’s close by. She hasn’t damaged my memory... if anything, she’s done the opposite.” Kairi explained. “It can’t be an accident that she showed up here. She’s meant to be here.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion stalked off to sit in a tree, close to Kairi’s home. The wind was a little stronger at that height; it whipped at her hair and clothes and almost made her unsteady. She could see far out to sea from there. Below her, she could see Kairi and Riku talking. She couldn’t quite tell if they were arguing or having a normal conversation. All that she could see was that the conversation ended with Riku storming off. Kairi attempted to go after him but Riku seemed to put her off.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She hopped down from her branch. Kairi ran over to her. “I’m so sorry... about Riku. He just– wanted to protect me. But what he did to you–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, don’t. I know what he did. I’ve spent so long... resenting him for what he did to me. He did so much to Sora, too, even though they were friends... and Roxas... if I had to pay for what I did, then so should he.” She couldn’t stand looking at him. Riku looked heartbroken, sat on a rock by the shore. “But... every time I look at him, in this place, I can only think of us as kids, playing together under the sun as if nothing mattered. As if it would always be like that... so... carefree.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Xion?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...you said ‘us’. Instead of me, Riku and Sora.” Kairi held onto her hand with both of hers while Xion continued watching Riku. “Do you see yourself, in those memories? Or do you see Sora?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I... always see him. A boy with a bright smile and a big heart. But...” She met her eyes before she glanced away again. “...sometimes, it doesn’t make a difference.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She saw Kairi tilt her head to examine her closely and try and make sense of her words. Kairi had always treated her like herself, rather than only a vessel for someone else. After a few moments of only hearing the sea, Kairi squeezed her hands. “It doesn’t?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sora is a part of me, or... part of me is him. The people he knows and loves... aren’t always the same as the people I care for, but I still care for them. And... sometimes I even miss them.” She admitted, unable to help herself from gazing over at Riku. “...you should talk to him. He’ll listen to you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, you should go. I’ll come with you, but I think he’s had enough time to cool off.” Kairi kept holding onto her hand as she led her down the beach towards the rocks.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion’s steps dragged, hesitant. She had no doubts that Kairi would try and stop them from coming to blows, but would that be enough? She took a deep breath before approaching him, untwining Kairi’s fingers from hers and letting go. “...Riku? I... know that I’m the last person that you want to see–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–go on, then. Sit down.” He tapped a space next to him on another rock. Xion lept across others that jutted just above the waves to reach it. She almost felt her shoes lose their grip on the slippery surface but someone grabbed her arms to keep her stable. “Careful. The sea gets rough, and rocks aren’t always safe to stand on.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m... sorry. For Sora. I shouldn’t have made you grieve for him...” She felt tears in her eyes and wished that she was wearing her cloak, so that she could pull it over her face. “Why did you help me...?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I’m not your enemy, Xion. I... don’t want to lose my best friend. Naminé tries to keep my hopes up, but... I feel like I already have. Seeing you, with her... it’s like seeing him again.” Riku’s hands unclenched themselves from fists. “It’s not easy getting used to life without him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I understand. I miss Roxas too... he... he trusted me... he thought we were friends, and that I would never hurt him–“ Tears streamed down her face, sobs escaping her. The sea suddenly felt welcoming to her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Kairi trusts you. Sora wouldn’t let his heart be held by someone who couldn’t be trusted. And... I saw another friend of yours. Fought with them, even. All of that... it matters.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Axel? You... you saw Axel?” Xion was cautiously optimistic. She leaned towards him and wiped her tears away, aching for more news of him. Axel didn’t write letters, or visit at all. He didn’t know where she was and she didn’t know anything about his whereabouts either.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...in the Organisation’s home world. He was there for the same reason as me. But... I lost track of him. I didn’t know where he went, only that he was going after Zemnas.” He rested his head on his hand. “I intend to go back there. There’s some research that Naminé wants to get a hold of. And I have to make sure that they’re gone for good.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...if he’s still there... I need to find him.” She spoke up quietly but with certainty. “I can’t go there alone... if I slip into memories...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We could go together. The enemy of my enemy...?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Right. No matter what happened, I have to be there for him.” She shakily stood up to balance herself on the rock, hopping from one to another. She had done this before, when they were kids, for fun– no, that was Sora. She couldn’t afford to–</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion expected the freezing ocean to meet her when she slipped. Instead, two different arms held her up. “...thanks. I should have been more careful.” She said once Riku and Kairi had her back on solid ground.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...you sounded just like him.” Riku breathed out.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You get used to it, sometimes. And what’s this about going somewhere? This time, I’m going with you! I can fight this time, and I won’t get in your way.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>For once, Riku and Xion were in agreement. “No.” They said in unison and glanced over at each other when they realised it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s too dangerous–“ “You don’t even have a Keyblade–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I want to be with you and fight by your side! I don’t want to be left alone again. Please, stop treating me like I’m weak and let me help...!” She stomped her foot into the sand.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She couldn’t help but smile at her boundless will and optimism. “...are you sure? You could get hurt... and I can’t allow that to happen.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well... about that... I was going to show you before, until Riku showed up, but look!” Kairi summoned a Keyblade into her hand. It was golden and decorated with intricate flowers. It was one of the most beautiful and elegant blades Xion had ever seen.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku cut in. “Just because you have a Keyblade, doesn’t mean you know how to use it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m coming with you, whether you like it or not. Someone has to stop you two from going at each other.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion looked over at Riku. Was this an attempt to make peace? She shook her head. Her focus was finding Axel, and keeping Kairi safe. This paradise was only a sanctuary, a place for broken things to stay and repair, safe from whatever storm was happening outside. But sanctuary was a temporary thing.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thank you for 400 hits!!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>She had a few days left on the islands. Riku had been kind enough to grant her that before they had to leave. Those days were spent collecting seashells and training with Kairi. She hoped that she would never get into the thick of the fighting, if they ran into anyone while they were there. The World That Never Was seemed like a strange place to go for Kairi’s first task as a Keyblade wielder but she was ready and willing. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Kairi, did Riku ever tell you what he needed? He told me that it was research, for Namine, but what was it about...?” She asked while Kairi packed various potions into a backpack. Xion doubted that it would be wise to carry so much but she would leave explaining so to Riku.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t know. Maybe you should just ask him?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It had been the exact thing that she had managed to avoid. The islands were large enough for she and Riku to keep their distance. She gave a quiet sigh and nodded. “Okay... I guess I have to talk to him at some time.” Kairi gave her an encouraging smile before Xion left her to packing.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She noticed someone standing on the balcony of the treehouse, his arms resting against the wooden rail. It had been decorated with flowers. Their petals occasionally blew off in the wind. They floated around her while she climbed the latter.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Riku–?” She noticed that he was wearing his cloak already. He turned around, smiling at her. This wasn’t the Riku she had been trying to find. “It’s... you. What are you doing here? And why are you wearing that?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I was looking for someone, and accidentally wound up here. It’s good to see you again.” He took her hand to help her up. “Could you tell me where to find a girl named Naminé? I– she– she was taken away from me, and I need to get her back.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Naminé is safe. I haven’t seen her in a while, but she’s fine.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Bet she’s being looked after by that imposter... the other one. I just got her back, and she’s already gone.” He laughed to himself, although it sounded pained. “I miss her... she’s the only thing I have. Her and... and you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Where did you get that cloak?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“The same place as you. I guess they needed to fill out their ranks somehow. So they returned more of my memories and gave me this. But once I find her... I won’t need them any more.” The other replica pulled his hood up again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re working for them?!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–and you’re not?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion pointed her Keyblade at him. She had no intention to use it but she had to make her point. He wasn’t wanted here. This was a sanctuary, and he didn’t belong there. Not if he worked with the Organisation. “No... I’m not. You won’t find Naminé here. But... I understand, what you’re going through.” She gave him the smallest hint of a smile. “Stay safe, but go.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s just what I needed to know. And Xion...” He opened up a gateway from him to cross through. Xion didn’t know where he would end up and could tell that he didn’t either from the hesitance in his steps. “...you look great as a brunette. Almost reminds me of someone.” He stepped through the portal and closed it behind her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Xion.” Riku regarded her from below. He was dressed in a yellow t-shirt and shorts, rather than the cloak he had arrived in. It brought some colour to his face and made him appear a little more... normal. “Kairi said you were looking for me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“One minute!” She called as she climbed back down the latter to meet him. When she could feel ground beneath her feet again, she turned to him. “I wanted to know what the research was for. The research you wanted to get for Naminé.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...when Vexen was in Castle Oblivion, he took some of his research with him. Research on replicas, mostly. But Naminé is convinced that there was other research that he conducted that she only has a portion of. Research into hearts, how to merge them, or release them without fatal damage to the person involved.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. When he realised that he had made her tense, he moved it off. “She believes that it could be used to help you <em>and</em> Sora.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I trust her.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I’m doing this for her, and him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The bitterness in his words made her heart sink, although it was nothing but what she expected. She knew what he had wanted to say; that he wasn’t doing any of this for her. “And I’m going for Axel, and to keep Kairi safe. I’m... glad to know we’re on the same page.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku nodded. The wind had picked up and the waves had grown rough. It was the mimicry of a storm, although neither of them could see clouds ahead or above them. She was pleased at the silence. Silence was an improvement over the clashing of blades.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Where did you get that scar?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This one?” She traced a hand over her face like another girl would tuck hair behind her ear. “...Axel. I can’t say I blame him for it, either.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Axel? And you’re still friends?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...you fought with Sora too, but you’re still friends.” Xion pointed out with a smile.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. It was the first time that she had smiled at him for a long time, and the first time that he had returned it.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rain drummed on the windows and the roof. Xion stared out of the window, wistful. She had never seen it rain on the islands before. Aside from this single day, she could have easily been convinced that the islands were a sunny paradise all year round. Raindrops chased each other down the windowsill. It was rather childish of her to play that game, choosing one raindrop and hoping it prevailed over the others. It was a game of fate.</p><p></p><div>
  <p>“You’re not going to sit there all day, are you? We’ve got s’mores, and hot cocoa!” Kairi grinned at her and offered a hand. She must have been perched on the windowsill for a long time. Kairi had been fruitlessly searching through her room for games to play when she had left to stretch her legs.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It wouldn’t be long before she, Kairi and Riku would travel to the World That Never Was. Xion had spent many wishes on never going back there. She had hoped never to see Xemnas again. Xemnas, Saïx, Luxord and Xigbar. She believed they were the only Organisation members left. A shiver travelled down her spine when she recalled Xigbar’s last words to her. What if she didn’t see Axel there? Or... what if she did?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kairi shook her. “Are you okay? You zoned out again. Come on, cocoa will cheer you up.” She took Xion’s hand instead of offering again and led her back to her bedroom. Riku was already sitting on the floor next to a pile of board games.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Xion glanced away from him when he met her eyes. She let Kairi sit down first, next to Riku, while she sat down on her other side. Three steaming mugs of hot cocoa sat on a desk above them along with a jar of marshmallows. She took the blue mug and dropped a handful of marshmallows into it. A look from Riku easily told her that the cup used to be Sora’s. She held it close to her in both hands to warm herself up.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Those were all the mugs I could find. Don’t worry, you took the right one. The pink one’s mine, and the yellow one is Riku’s.” Kairi murmured the last part to Xion. She was busy setting up the game. It was some kind of card game, something simple to start the night with. The aim was to match a card with the one on top of the pile, with either the same number or colour, until there was no cards left to play.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Riku, you can start.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Upon Kairi’s directions, Riku placed down a card. Xion managed to find a match and placed one down after him. She was relieved for the silence, to be able to be in the same room as him without any problems arising. Xion could feel him watching her. She would have liked to think that it was just Riku being competitive but she didn’t feel as though she had earned the luxury of comfort.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>After a few turns, the game had devolved slightly. “This card means you have to give me your cards.” Kairi tapped the card she had just placed down and stared expectantly at Riku.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He begrudgingly handed her his two cards. “Trust you to make losing a tactic.” His words weren’t without any humour. Xion watched them with a smile on her face as she enjoyed the sweetness of her cocoa. So Riku did know how to laugh.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“You’re just a sore loser!”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Keep rubbing it in...”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“It’s your turn.” Kairi reminded him. He placed down a card – now having plenty to choose from – and glanced over at Xion, whose gaze was focused on their faces but didn’t appear to take notice.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Riku gently tapped her on the shoulder. “Your go.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Xion blinked in response and looked down at her cards. She had three left. “I was just thinking... about how great it is, that we could spend time together like this...” She admitted. “Whatever happens tomorrow, at least we had a good night.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kairi heard the softness in her tone and frowned. The words were sweet, yet sad, as though she didn’t expect to be doing this again. “Are you worried, Xion?”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“No. But... I want to remember this, that’s all.” She gave her a smile that she hoped was reassuring. Riku was staring at her as though she had sprouted wings. His brows furrowed before he focused on his cards again. “And Kairi... pick up four cards.” She placed a card down with a grin on her face.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kairi huffed. “Hey, we’re supposed to be stopping him from winning!” She pointed at Riku.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“...now who’s the sore loser? Besides, I think you’ve stopped me from winning by a long shot.” </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Xion wished that they could always be so natural together. She laughed with them and watched Kairi put down a card. Riku smirked and hid his face with his mug before placing down another card. She looked over at it and then at her two cards. One card hadn't been played before. Riku tilted his head towards the pile of cards to pick up.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Pick up two, reverse the order. Back to me.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Oh, come on!” Xion picked up the cards. “I was about to win!”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Riku gave her that strange look again. A spark lit up his eyes and he chuckled to himself. Then his brows knitted together into a frown while he glanced away from her. Kairi looked over at him with some deep, unspoken understanding. It was something that she had only ever had with Roxas, but she had been built to have that. This was something that the two friends had built together, over time, and no connection with Sora would ever make her truly understand what was going on in Riku’s head.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The game continued, with the order of play changing multiple times. Kairi placed down a card - she had a single card left, like Xion. Both of the girls were grinning and staring each other down. Xion leaned forward as though she was going to place down her last card and instead picked one up. Her eyes dared Kairi to either place down a card or pick one up. A defeated sigh left her when Kairi placed down her last card.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kairi punched the air and wrapped her arms around Riku’s shoulders. “I win! Victory s’mores for everyone!” She took the ingredients for the sweet treats down from her table and started making a s’more. After she placed a wafer on top of her creation, she handed it to Xion. “For giving me a good game. I’ve had too much time to practice.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Thanks.” She bit into it and closed her eyes to savour the taste. It was sickly sweet, with the combination of marshmallow and chocolate. She had never tried it before. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Kairi stood up and smiled at Xion and Riku, who was in the careful process of making his own s’more. “I’m going to get more cocoa!” She announced and took their mugs from them. </p>
  <p>"Riku… why were you looking at me like that...?" Xion's question was asked quietly. She was aware that she may not get an answer. He raised an eyebrow as though he hadn't noticed it himself. "...it's about Sora, isn't it? It always is..."</p>
  <p>"I... never got to see him before he already couldn’t wake up."</p>
  <p>“I’m... I’m so sorry, Riku… I don't mean to make you miss him more." She curled up in on herself and wished that she had her hood to cover herself with. Perhaps then Riku would see her instead of Sora. </p>
  <p>"I know. It isn't your fault." He sighed and rested his hand against his head. “...are you worried about tomorrow? Tell me the truth, Xion.” Riku asked after a few moments of silence. He bit into his s’more while he awaited her answer. Xion looked up at him and shook her head. Why didn't he accept her previous answer? Did he think that she would lie about how she felt because Kairi was there? Kairi had enough optimism for the three of them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“No. Well, maybe a little... more about Kairi than myself. She hasn’t been in any real fights, which is partly my fault...” She admitted. “And I don’t know what I’ll find when we get there. That place... is full of bad memories. What if all I can see when I get there is everything I wish I could forget?”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Riku shuffled a little closer to her. The last time that he had tried to comfort her, she had flinched, so he kept his distance. “If that happens, you won't be alone. I just hope that whatever Naminé is planning works. But, for now, let’s just enjoy tonight, okay? As you said.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Yeah. Thank you... for believing in Naminé."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“More s’mores, anyone-?” Kairi paused when she came back into her room. She carried more wafers, chocolate and marshmallows on a plate along with three refilled cups of cocoa. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was Riku that spoke up first, to Xion’s relief. It reminded her of a time when the two of them were friends, when she thought that Riku was a kind of silent protector rather than an angel of death. Now she wasn’t sure what to think of him. “We were just talking about tomorrow. It's nothing.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“...I’m a little nervous. I mean, I’m excited too, but... what if something happens, and we’re not able to look out for each other?” She sat down beside them. “This is my first real fight.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Riku took his mug from the tray. “It’s normal to be afraid. Use it to make you stronger. I know you can do it.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“You’re not going in there alone. We made a promise, didn’t we?” Xion piped up. “Wherever you are... I won’t be too far away.” She felt as though she had made another promise to her too, but the exact words escaped her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“...we should make a toast. For tomorrow, and new adventures.” Kairi handed Xion her mug and raised her own. “To old friends and new ones.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“To Sora.” Riku added.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Xion nodded in agreement and the three of them held their cups together, smiling and talking, in less sobering tones, about the day ahead. <em>To Roxas, and Axel, wherever you are. </em>She added silently, her mug clinking against the others’.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>The building was more imposing than she remembered it. It towered over them, daring them to enter while drowning them in its shadow. Riku and herself both wore their cloaks to shroud their faces. Kairi wore a similar-looking black jacket with a hood. It was no true substitute but it would conceal her identity. Xion attempted to steel her nerves. She knew what was inside, unlike Kairi, and she knew that the building was far less dangerous than if they had chosen to do this earlier. Axel had made sure of that.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Axel. Axel was the reason why she had joined them. The idea that he still may be inside, dead or imprisoned, weighed heavy on her heart. Those last few precious days in the blissful sunlight of the Destiny Islands may have cost her dearly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She took a deep breath and stepped inside. Recognisable halls greeted her. They were blank, sterile. It was the only way in or out of the fortress for those who were not members themselves. It was fitting, then, for her to go in through this entrance.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I heard that there’s a deeper part to this basement. That’s where the research should be.” Riku instructed. “Come on.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion followed him. She knew the building better than anyone but she let him lead. Causing conflict during a mission like this could be dangerous; sticking together was the only way. She quickened her pace, though, to move ahead. “...I know the way. I spent most of my life down here.” She told Riku.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They came across a doorway with a mechanism attached to it. Kairi summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at it but Riku moved it downwards. “It’s some kind of scanner. Xion, do you think you can get us in?” He asked.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She lifted her hood upwards and waited for the mechanism to scan her eye. A robotic voice greeted her, one that sounded just like Vexen. There was no doubt that he had recorded them himself. This part of the fortress almost belonged to him. The only others that she had seen down there were Zexion, Xigbar and Xemnas.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Welcome, no. i.” It said before the door opened. Xion stepped inside and grabbed Kairi’s hand to take her through. Riku slid underneath the door before it closed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The sound of rattling cages met their ears before they could see its source. There was a desk in the corner of the room but various papers were strewn around the concrete bunker. The desk had been split in half as though someone had been thrown against it. A struggle had happened here.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That noise... what is it?” Kairi still held onto her Keyblade and glanced around the room, expecting a fight.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion frowned. “One of their projects... they kept Dusks down here to try and modify them. I used to hear them... screaming... when I was kept down here, too.” Her explanation made Kairi’s eyes widen. “...I’ll try to find what it is. We might not be alone.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her footsteps echoed as she carefully crept down the hallway. She had taken her first, shaky steps there, with two figures waiting for her. Vexen and Xemnas, with his arms crossed, judging her every motion. Analysing her. Figuring out, instinctively, if she was ‘acceptable enough’ to be seen by the world outside. Before that moment she had been confined to a cage, much like the Dusks. Another set of feet caught up to her and make her steady footsteps sound like a frantic heartbeat.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Kairi! What are you doing? You should help Riku.” She whispered in an attempt to stay quiet.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m coming with you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The concrete walls were replaced with metal bars and rows upon rows of cells. Inside were Dusks – or what she believed had been Dusks. Their bodies distorted and moved through solid matter as they always had, however Xion had never seen a Dusk float in mid-air. These creatures were somewhat humanoid, like Dusks, but appeared to be ‘dressed’ in white cloaks. A wave of red light spread through the hall and pushed them back. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...they’re stopping us from getting any further.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi braced herself as another wave hit them. Their presence appeared to have angered the creatures. “What’s at the other end?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Through the blinding light she saw a human body, collapsed in a cell at the end of the hall. The spiked, auburn hair that she could vaguely see through the bars caused her to freeze. “Axel... Axel!” She pushed forward despite the creatures that forced her back. She didn’t stop to look back at Kairi, not even when she called out to her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“They’ve been let out-!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The creatures were now in front of her. Any attempts at far-range magic didn’t appear to effect them, so she summoned her Keyblade and started to fight. Dodging their light attacks was impossible; they couldn’t prevent them from pushing them back. She heard Kairi lashing out at them from behind her, and the footsteps of Riku hurrying to meet her, while she barged ahead towards the end of the corridor. Xion teleported to the end of the corridor and broke open the cell.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Axel-” Her breath was heavy as she fell to her knees beside her friend and shook him. “Please wake up. I-I’m... I’m here now.” She started to choke on her own breath and held back tears that she didn’t want to shed. “I... told you not to go alone...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>An inhuman shadow hovered over her before she could bear to look up from him. “Look out-!” She overheard someone yell. Before the creature could launch an attack, someone slashed at it from behind. The voice caught Xion’s attention and forced her to recognise the battle outside. Riku was attacking the creature that had attempted to corner her while Kairi clumsily dodged the many Nobodies that remained outside.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion gave Axel one last look before she pushed herself out of the cell to assist Riku and Kairi. That was when she finally started crying. Instead of collapsing on the floor, she steeled herself again and continued to fight. She teleported around the creatures, impossible to capture, and attacked them relentlessly. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Then she froze again. But it wasn’t her choice this time. Her vision was clouded red from the cube of light that surrounded her. She cried out in pain. She felt as though she was being torn apart, limb from limb, down to the very molecule. What would be left? A shell. A replica with no hearts or memories to fill it. Another vessel to be filled with some other puppet.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ve got you!” Kairi hit the cube with vigour. Riku covered her from behind against the last two creatures. The two friends stood back to back. When she fell from her hovering prison, Kairi held her up. “Are you okay? Can you fight?” The fighting had left Kairi shaky, with various cuts across her arms. Xion couldn’t tell if she or Riku had sustained any other injuries. She handed her a potion, which she accepted with a worn, grateful smile.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She made her way to Riku’s side. Their presence alone reinvigorated her, somehow, even more than the potion did. “Thank you... I shouldn’t have run off like that... I put you all in danger...” She told him as the last creature vanished into nothing. “Did you... did you find the research?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes.” He stepped inside the cell that Axel was kept in. Wary, he stood in front of the body, his Keyblade pointed downwards as if about to strike a fatal blow. Xion ran forward to stop him, but Kairi grabbed her arm in an attempt to hold her back. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What... what are you doing?! What are you doing?! Riku, you’re going to kill him!” Xion screamed. Tears streamed down her face while she pushed Kairi backwards to get out of her grip. Her words did nothing to stop him from bringing the blade down in front of her eyes. Kairi covered her eyes to shield herself from the sight. Xion just stared at him and summoned her Keyblade again. She blinked tears out of her eyes. The body didn’t disappear as it should have done once Riku’s blade had hit it. It’s features seemed to melt away to leave nothing but a white, mannikin-like shell.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi attempted to calm her. “...it was a replica. Axel wasn’t here at all.” Xion clung onto her, her entire body shaking. “But... we’ll find him. The real Axel.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You... you shouldn’t have done that... I... I thought...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–I didn’t realise. I only saw a blank replica.” Riku let his Keyblade vanish. “...there’s no mechanism on the door from inside, and we locked ourselves in. We’ll have to find some other way out. Xion–?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“An elevator. It should stop here soon.” She mumbled. Kairi rushed to her side and squeezed her hand. Xion looked over at her and managed a faint smile. “You... you did good, out there. You earned that Keyblade.” Her words made Kairi smile.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The elevator stopped and opened what had appeared to be a wall. They stepped inside while Xion made it take them upward. It felt strange to be in the fortress again, after so long. What was it supposed to feel like? Was it meant to be like coming home? The place had never truly felt like a home to her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She could almost see Roxas and Axel welcoming her back when they reached the next room. Her eyes filled with tears before she shook her head. The building had been full of life then. Now it was deserted, the features that had been installed to make it more homely unnerving to her without the presence of others. Where was Demyx, lounging on one of the sofas? Or Saïx, glaring at everyone from across the room? Xion found herself missing them, despite everything.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Someone let those creatures out. They could be anywhere.” Riku warned them. It seemed as though nobody had used this room in a while, though. Who would need to gather there when the Organisation now only consisted of a few?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“There’s a hall nearby... on the next floor. You might find someone there, if they’re anywhere. I’ll catch up with you.” Xion started walking in the opposite direction to the elevator, towards another hallway.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When she heard Kairi’s question, she paused. “Where are you going?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s... it’s nothing important.” Her answer caused Riku’s eyes to narrow. He said nothing, although she could tell that he still didn’t trust her. “I just... need to see if I left anything behind, when I last left this place.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The hallway leading to the Organisation’s living quarters was sterile, with white walls that reflected the light of the sun in good weather. Each of the rooms were plain, with no permanent decoration. Some members had decorated their rooms with their own things, she recalled. Demyx had posters from bands that she had never heard of taped over his walls and Axel had added some beanbags to his room for herself and Roxas to sit in.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion took a deep breath as she opened the door to the room that she and Roxas had stayed in. It was a small space with no decorations and two beds. One bed was neatly made, while the other was untidy. It was as though they had never left it. Her hands traced over the ridges of the pale seashells that lined Roxas’s bed. Some had fallen on the floor when the sheets had been disturbed. She picked them up and put them back in their place.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Amongst them, she noticed a shell with an odd tag on it, as though it was made to be attached to something. It was decorated with a blue ribbon and a pearl in the centre. She could imagine that it had taken a long time to find a shell as perfect as the one in her hand, let alone a genuine pearl. She summoned her Keyblade and carefully attached it to the hilt. The blade shone with a familiar, comforting blue light. It retained the same shape as before but the edges appeared to drip without ever falling to the ground. Xion laughed to herself; it looked exactly like the ice cream that they had shared together.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...you should have been able to give this to me yourself.” The words came out choked. “T-thank you, Roxas... I don’t think I deserve it now, after everything... but thank you.” She let her Keyblade vanish again with a fond smile and glanced towards the door. There was no one else there. She took off down the hall again, uncaring about the noise of her footsteps.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion ascended to the second floor and was greeted with the sound of clashing blades. For a split second, she thought that she had been too late. But if they were still fighting, then that couldn’t be true.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku was duelling with Xigbar, although it was far from a graceful melee. Xigbar’s shots ricocheted off of Riku’s Keyblade. He was more focused on preventing Kairi from getting hit by any of them than protecting himself. Once Riku started to approach him, Xigbar vanished. His disappearance left him looking around in all directions, disoriented.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi’s eyes were filled with a determination unlike any she had seen before. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as she slashed at the flurry of red lights that ceaselessly pushed her backwards. She attempted to weave through the attacks, to avoid wearing herself out with an endless barrage of strikes that achieved little payoff. She choked on her own breath when Xemnas managed to grasp onto her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion rushed at him from behind and managed to knock him away from Kairi. Her modified Keyblade glowed blue against the harsh red of Xemnas’s blades. “Get away from her–!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Number i... Xion. I see you have returned to where you belong...” His voice sent shivers down her spine. She had fought much of the Organisation in that same hall, the same wide-open arena. Xemnas always watched from the sidelines. “...like the good little puppet you are.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She narrowly avoided him with teleportation. There were few other ways to fight Xemnas; he would drain her too, if she got too close to him. Kairi’s eyes were blank, soulless. She was glad that she had managed to keep Xemnas occupied.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m not your puppet! You... only hoped I’d come back because everyone else is gone! You’re alone, Xemnas. Where’s Xigbar, or Saïx, or Luxord? Did they leave you too?” Xion didn’t know where her spark of confidence had come from. She couldn’t have imagined speaking to her superior in that way before.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her words made his lips twitch into a frown for a second. He scowled at her and sent beams of red light at her. They separated Kairi and Riku from her. “I cannot feel <em>hope</em>.” Xemnas spat out the word as though it was something unclean. The barriers that he had created moved closer to the walls, to her friends. “And neither should you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She felt his hand on her neck without seeing him move towards her. Xion continued to lash out at him but her attacks lacked the force that they had before. Her vision grew fuzzy and her ears had started to ring. A sharp, piercing noise. She hoped that it would prevent her from hearing the sounds of Kairi and Riku’s agony as the walls of light passed through them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Your... companions will be pleased to see your demise. They do not care for you. You believe that they do, or that if you sacrifice enough for them, they will care for you as they cared for him. But they will not live to see the... unfortunate return of their friend.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xemnas turned around to be met with Riku’s Keyblade. He dropped Xion to the ground and she fell to her knees. Her blank eyes gazed up at the ceiling, soulless. The red lights that cornered Kairi flickered for a moment, before they inched closer to Xemnas himself. A smile crossed her face. Blue beams, much like Xemnas’s, hurled themselves from thin air towards him. She couldn’t tell if she was wearing him down or if they were merely an annoyance to him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku kept on fighting him. His movements had grown slow and somewhat sluggish. Each swing of his Keyblade appeared to be painful. Passing through the barrier that Xemnas had made had cost him much of his strength but he grit his teeth through it. Kairi struggled to her feet and ran towards them. Xemnas threw up a barrier to block her attack and the barrage of beams Xion rained down upon him. She used the barrier as a springboard to attack, hitting him hard enough to knock him back. He staggered backwards, the invulnerable leader diminished.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion managed to stand, energy slowly ebbing back to her. “Where is Axel? Tell me!” She demanded. Her own beams of light inched closer to Xemnas to box him in. Another slowly moved closer to his empty chest. After a few moments, it would pierce him along with the beams that caged him. “What did you do to him?!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Ah... the traitor. I gave him what all traitors deserve... a slow and painful death.” Xemnas chuckled darkly. “Indeed, you will soon suffer the same fate, little puppet... a traitor’s end.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...at least I won’t die alone.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her muttered words were the last thing that she told Xemnas before he faded away, dissolved like a Keyblade did when it was no longer needed. Xion doubted, for a moment, that he was truly dead. Her mind went to Zigbar. He had likely gone to another part of the fortress to lick his wounds.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku glanced towards the higher floors, visible in the form of a balcony. “Let’s go after Xigbar. He can’t have gone far.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You don’t look so great... we should go home.” Kairi’s gaze was worried.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku swayed on his feet but refused Kairi’s assistance and support. “We have to go after him! None of this is over until they’re all dead!” He insisted. He brandished his Keyblade and forced himself to stand up straight, to give an impression of good posture. “If you want to go, tell Xion to take you home. I’m going.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...no. You should go back to the Islands... I know you don’t care what I think, but you shouldn’t carry on like this...” Xion watched him continue to sway as though he was dizzy before he fell to the ground. She stepped towards him to help him up. He leaned on Kairi for support.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ll get us home.” She told him in a quieter tone. There was a sharp pang of guilt inside her heart when she remembered that Riku had likely sustained most of his damage from going through the barrier that Xemnas had created. To <em>save</em> her. “And... Riku?” She added, almost in a whisper. “Thank you.”</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Happy 1 month to this fic!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Xion picked up a rock and skimmed it across the sea. The water was calm that day, and clear enough for her to see the fish and other creatures that called the sea their home. She picked up another one, smoother than the first. When she threw it the rock bounced one, two, three, four times before it eventually sunk. She was about to try again until she noticed Kairi standing up in the treehouse.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hey, Kairi! What are you doing up there?” She called. Kairi’s exact expression was unreadable from the distance but she could tell that she was smiling. When she didn’t get a response, Xion climbed up the ladder to join her. “What are you looking at?” She asked.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Nothing. Actually, there’s... something I wanted to ask you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Okay. What is it?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Can you take me to Castle Oblivion? I... want to see Naminé, and Sora. Riku tells me about how he’s doing, but I have to see for myself.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She raised an eyebrow. What had Riku told her about Sora and Naminé? She doubted that seeing Sora’s condition would put Kairi at ease, whether or not he was still stable. The research that they had obtained would help his progress, surely, but Xion didn’t know how much of it Naminé had managed to implement yet. “I’ll take you.” She agreed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her hand hovered over Kairi’s for a moment before Kairi grabbed it and squeezed it tightly. “Thank you, Xion! I’ve asked Riku a thousand times but he never said yes... is there something dangerous about that place?” Kairi’s lips twitched into a frown.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...he just doesn’t want you to be in pain. We all know you miss him, Riku more than anyone. I guess he wouldn’t want you to reopen the wound.” Xion reassured her. Each word reminded her of why she rarely visited the castle herself.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I need to see him. If Roxas was there, wouldn’t you do the same?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She had told her many stories. Most of them had featured Roxas and Axel; they had been inseparable, after all. Kairi mentioning Roxas made her smile. It sounded as though Kairi knew him, just from her stories. Like, in some alternate world, she would have been friends with him too. “Of course... but me and Roxas were <em>not</em> the same as you and Sora.” Xion giggled behind her free hand.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you sure?” Kairi met her eyes with a grin. “Roxas gave you that keychain, didn’t he? The seashell charm? Like I gave Sora mine...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not the same. It was a thanks, for looking out for him. That was all.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“How would you know?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her remark aimed to be cheeky, to get on her nerves a little, but it made Xion think. Xion looked out at the vast expanse of sea. Some part of Roxas was her – by design, she and Roxas were more alike than different. But even holding his heart didn’t allow her to read his mind, or willfully conjure his memories to tell her his intent behind the gift. He had meant to give it to her, she knew that much. She shook her head and took a deep breath of salty sea air to clear her mind. There was no point in dwelling on how Roxas might have felt.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Castle Oblivion. If you’re ready, we can go now.” Xion brought them back to the subject at hand. A portal opened up behind her. Kairi stepped closer to her and held onto her as Xion led her through it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The scorched earth that she had left with Axel had healed into lush grass again, as if she had never been there before. Castle Oblivion itself was unchanged. The white walls, intricately carved out of marble, were still the same. Kairi’s eyes were wide as she gazed around the castle. It wasn’t as imposing as the fortress in the World That Never Was; it had a kind of simple beauty in comparison to the magnificent castles of other worlds.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion noticed that Riku wasn’t there. Being without his presence didn’t seem to bother Naminé, who was focused on the contraption that held Sora when she and Kairi arrived in her part of the castle. She turned around and smiled warmly at them, then glanced up at Sora’s sleeping body.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Kairi?” She said before Kairi could introduce herself. “Hello... I’m Naminé.” Her words were stilted, uncertain about what to say to her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Riku told me a lot about you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi managed to make Naminé giggle. “Did he...? I know a lot about you too. Through both Riku and Sora.” She said his name as though he hadn’t been asleep for a long time. “You’re here to visit him, aren’t you?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Has he been here for all of this time? He looks so peaceful...” She placed a hand on the glass and rested her head against it. Her shaky breath left mist on the glass. If this was one of the romance books that she had read endlessly, she realised, Sora would have woken up then. But he remained asleep. “...please, Sora... you have to wake up.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The scene reminded Xion of herself, sat by Roxas’s bedside. She kept a distance from Kairi and rested her back against one of the walls. The marble was cold against her back. She looked back towards the way they had came. Kairi and Sora needed some time alone.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Xion? Can we talk?” She hadn’t heard Naminé approach her. The slightly taller girl must have learned to be silent after living in a castle where every footstep echoed loudly around the entire room.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naminé led her into a smaller room. It had a large wooden desk inside it, covered in various papers. On the walls were drawings. At first they were simple stick figures, made out of crayon, but they slowly grew more detailed. Many were of Sora and Riku, although she found a few of Roxas, herself or Kairi. The newest was a sketch of a boy, drawn in pencil, with slate-blue hair and a serious yet innocent expression.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Who is this?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...a boy Riku found a few days ago, in Hollow Bastion. He told me that his name was Ienzo, and that he was training to become a scientist.” Naminé took the picture down from the wall and showed it to her. “He seems to have lost his memory... Riku is helping him recover. We still don’t know what happened to him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“He looks almost exactly like Zexion.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We believe that he was Zexion. Or that he is to Zexion what Roxas is to Sora.” She taped the picture back up on the wall and paced around the room. “His... somebody.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Where is he now?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“He’s helping me, with the research. He knows more than I do, even if he doesn’t remember how or why.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>There was a knock on the door that signalled that someone was coming inside. Naminé smiled at the sound. The boy from the picture, dressed in a lab coat over what appeared to be Riku’s spare clothes, stood in the doorway. He held papers in his hands. His eyes regarded Xion with scepticism, looking her over as though she was a curiousity, another subject to examine and analyse.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“These are the updates on Sora’s condition. Is there anything else? I noticed a stranger with him... is that safe?” He told Naminé. Xion couldn’t see anyone but Zexion when she looked at him, but his voice was somewhat kinder than when Zexion had ever spoken to anyone, let alone her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naminé took the papers from Ienzo and placed them down on the desk. They were the only tidy feature of the room. “Kairi is one of the best things for Sora. Oh, and this is Xion. Don’t worry, she’s a friend.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Perhaps Naminé was better off with another pair of hands. The state of her desk gave Xion the impression that finding a way to help Sora was getting on top of her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s... nice to meet you. But, can I ask, are you a shapeshifter of some kind? You were a blonde boy, then I blinked and you were different.” Ienzo stepped closer to her and lifted her chin to examine her face. He stopped with a look from Naminé and backed away. “I was only curious. It might have been my eyes... I do need glasses.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s nice to meet you too.” She managed to say. Zexion had been blunt or harsh to anyone that he had met. He hadn’t been the most violent of the Organisation, not towards her, but she used to feel the distain for her in his glare whenever they had passed each other. It was difficult to avoid seeing Zexion when she saw Ienzo study her like that.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When Ienzo left Xion and Naminé alone again, Naminé rested against the desk with a sigh. “I’m sorry, about him. Seeing any of them again, even as they were before, must be difficult. It was for me, but Ienzo is helpful and he tries to be kind. His help could be just what we needed.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...to wake Sora up?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–and prevent you from getting hurt in the process. It would require you to sleep, like Sora, for an unknown amount of time. The research never said how long it would take.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“If Zexion can come back as Ienzo... does that mean that the others will too?” The question seemed pointless to ask. If Xemnas had been telling the truth and Axel had been killed when he went to hunt him down, then there was a possibility that he could come back.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Almost certainly, yes. But... not as you remember them. They can regain their memories on their own, with a push in the right direction. I don’t think that’s something we should do, though. They deserve the chance to live without carrying that burden.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m going to wait for him. Axel. Whoever he comes back as. He needs to see me, to remember me and Roxas and everything we did together. To have one last day together... that’s all I ask...” Her voice started to break as the reality of it all sunk in. She wouldn’t see Axel again, not as he was. He was gone, truly gone. If she had only woken up before he had, the morning before he left her, and talked him into letting her go... Or if she had followed him out as he tried to sneak past her, pretending to be asleep–</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion laughed out loud, an unsettling sound but it covered up her uneven breath. Naminé frowned and held onto her shoulders. “But even if I did that, they’d both still be gone... He still wouldn’t know me... I’d be like a stranger to him...” She leaned against Naminé and hugged her tight. “But I’ll wait for him. Just in case. Forever, if I have to... because he was my best friend.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ll tell you if me or Riku see anyone who looks like Axel.” Naminé’s gaze was sympathetic. “You can stay with me for as long as you want, now and after everything is over. Maybe one day, I can go to the Destiny Islands with you and Kairi... and I can live out the memories I wish I had.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion saw images, as clear as any true memory, of Naminé playing volleyball with her and Kairi. Of Naminé running along the beach with her and collecting seashells. Quiet nights and sleepy mornings. Sometimes Riku was there, sometimes Sora, or other faces that must have been taken from Xion’s own memory, like Hayner, Pence and Olette. She blinked up at her and hugged her again. “Yeah... I’d like that too. But for now... I can’t leave Kairi alone again. I made a promise.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her answer made Naminé smile. “I understand. Speaking of Kairi, we should... see how she’s doing.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi was sat on the floor in front of Sora. He was floating above her, carefree. She wondered if he could hear them talking, or what he was dreaming about during his long sleep. “I’ve been making these every day. I filled a jar with them... I believed that if I filled it up, then you would come back.” She took out a sealed jar of paper stars from her bag and placed them down beside her. They were all yellow, with small pieces of paper on top to resemble a tiny leaf. Paper papou fruits. “Things have changed so much without you... I have a Keyblade now, Riku’s gone his own way and Xemnas is gone. If only you had been there to see it. Nothing feels bright anymore...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion remained in the doorway between Naminé’s little room and the hall where Sora was kept. She felt her heart aching to comfort Kairi but she doubted the good it would do. Her reflection in the polished stone walls showed a painting of Sora constructed from foggy memories. If he was the sun then she was the moon, stealing some of his light in his absence.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Go to her. She needs a friend, and you know her well.” Naminé gave her a smile and turned back towards the papers that Ienzo had given her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Kairi, are you okay?” Xion’s footsteps echoed against the walls. She wanted Kairi to know that she was there. She sat down next to her. Her eyes were drawn to the paper Paopu fruits. The little star-like figures looked like a symbol of hope, all of Kairi’s wishes in one jar.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She wiped tears from her eyes with the arm of the hoodie she wore. Despite her red eyes and sniffling breaths, she smiled gently at Xion and nodded. “I... I think so. Thanks, for taking me here. You don’t know what it means to me. To finally know that... everything’s going to be okay.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“How do you know?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ve spent so long never really knowing where Sora was or if he was alright. Riku only started telling me anything after you showed up... but before then I felt so alone.” She let out a deep sigh and took a strip of yellow paper out of her bag. Her fingers delicately folded it as she continued. “You never really know when everything will be okay... but I know that it will.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion watched the paper strip turn into a little Paopu fruit with curious delight. It felt as though she was witnessing a strange ritual. “It will.” She was unsure when she would be able to see this brand new world of Kairi’s hopes and Naminé’s imagination. “Can you show me how to make one?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sure.” Kairi took out another strip of paper and ran Xion through the steps. Xion’s fingers were clumsy compared to Kairi’s, the way she folded the paper less precise. The smile that Kairi gave her when she finished the misshapen origami made it worth it.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>She had placed a jar on Kairi’s windowsill beside hers. It was slowly filling with paper stars of all colours. Whenever she had a spare moment, her fingers were occupied with the origami. It helped to keep her mind at ease, at least for a short while. Xion often woke up late at night or early in the morning, her mind filled with fuzzy memories or nightmares. She turned a lamp on and started making stars again. After a few nights, she had thought, she would have enough paper stars to fill an entire sky.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Xion? Where are you going?” Kairi’s voice from underneath her blankets was sleepy. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as she watched Xion stalk past her. Xion was already dressed, in an outfit suited for fighting in.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion summoned her Keyblade and sighed. Her eyes were soft when she looked at Kairi, but distant. “I need to clear my head. Don’t worry, I’ll come back.” There were few places to go on the islands. She could understand why someone would look out to the wide ocean and wish for something more.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The portal she had opened had taken her to the wide expanse of gardens outside of a grand castle. She recalled the place fondly; it was where she had Axel had danced together, that night. It was one of the last worlds that they had travelled through together before he had left her alone in Traverse Town. She could have gone anywhere. Why this world, of all the many worlds she had travelled to? At least she could say that this world held nothing but good memories for her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you here for the wedding?” A guard asked her. He was dressed in royal regalia and looked at her without any suspicion. “Strange to see a young lady without an escort.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She stood up. Her cloak felt much heavier than before. A glance at the polished walls of the castle revealed that she wasn’t wearing her cloak at all. Instead she wore a dark blue ball gown, studded with sapphires. A ticket was stuffed into her pocket. “I... I guess I am.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The guard led her inside. The ballroom was just as she remembered it. She couldn’t tell how much time had passed since she had last been there. It could have been years, or months, or only days. She could vaguely recognise the royal couple. Xion darted through the crowds of elegant guests towards a table of tiny, delicate cakes. She took one and ate it, smiling at the taste of strawberry and vanilla.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>In the centre of the room, the guests danced in synchronised motions. It was nothing but perfect harmony. Part of her wondered if there was magic to it, like how her cloak had become a dress. She struggled to find any other way that the dancers could move so elegantly together.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not one for dancing, are you?” A voice chimed in from next to her. The voice was smooth, and dressed in a suit with a blue tie. A few playing cards were tucked into the pocket in his jacket. An ace of spades displayed its symbol clearly at the front.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Luxord.” Xion acknowledged him with gritted teeth. She avoided looking at him as though that would make him disappear. She would never get a moment alone, she realised. “What do you want?” She summoned her Keyblade to her hand.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s a coincidence that we two showed up here, don’t you think? Some would say it’s fate.” He lowered her weapon, his calm expression unwavering. “Now, now. Here is not a place for weapons, child. This is a celebration.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Tell me about what happened to Axel! Xemnas is gone, you have no one left to answer to any more!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Luxord tapped a finger against his chin in thought. “Hmm... I suppose those are your conditions, then? I have always missed these little games. Roxas managed to get quite good at them... I wonder if you managed to absorb his skill.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t care! I need to know!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A smirk appeared on his face. “And I’m the only one who can offer them? Careful, Xion. You’re becoming irrational. Don’t let your judgement be clouded by anger.” He crouched down to her height. “You might start doing things that you’ll regret.” Luxord stood up again and walked away.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His departure left her tense. She balled her fingers into fists and unclenched them before she ran after him. The dancers and other guests that milled around the grand hall blocked her way. Luxord vanished through an archway that led to one of the castle’s many balconies. There were guests there too, clustered in chattering groups. The music was less overpowering than it had been inside. It had an ethereal quality to it, though, from a distance. The slow melody of the band appeared to make time slow down. Xion paused for a moment to gaze up at the sky. It was a clear night, as it had been the last time she had been there.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t we have a game to play?!” She called out, uncaring about the confused looks from the people around her. They would never see her again, not for a long time. Xion spotted a blonde figure in the corner of the room. It had to have been Luxord; he had met her eyes when she had called out to him. She ran at him and swiped at him with her Keyblade, only to be met with a flurry of cards.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When she blinked, she noticed more Luxords. Some were sitting at the tables, others were engaged in conversation or staring out at the kingdom below from the balcony. This had to have been the game that he was playing with her. It had already started. Was she running out of time? Xion weaved through the guests, who were frozen in place, to destroy the copies. Each of the fakes dissolved into cards that blew away with the slightest breeze.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Figured it out yet?” Luxord’s voice echoed around her although they were outside. It was as if it was being said from a speaker, somewhere. But he had to be there. He didn’t resort to cheating when he controlled the game. “Time is ticking.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>There were a few Luxords left. To clear them all out would mean running out of time. One of the figures was examining a card, passing it between his fingers. She was close enough to make out the symbol; an ace of spades. Xion raised her Keyblade and struck him. Instead of air, her blade hit his shoulder.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I won. Now, answers.” She knocked him off of the chair he had sat on. Her blade went down again and landed on the ground next to his head. “What happened to Axel, and where is Xigbar?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I will give you your answers... when you let me up.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion reluctantly put away her Keyblade and crossed her arms while he stood up. The balcony was alive with the sounds of conversation and music again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“As for Axel... I saw him, fighting with Saïx. It wasn’t easy for him, to strike him down... He looked quite beaten himself, by the end of it.” Luxord spread out another hand of cards that hovered in the air. “Going against Xemnas one-on-one was a grave mistake... and he suffered for it.” He turned over one of the cards; a joker. “Xigbar vanished after Xemnas, without a word. I couldn’t tell you where he went.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s it?! You know more than you’re telling me.” Xion summoned her Keyblade again. “How did he die?!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I know what you’re doing. You’re searching the ends of all the worlds to know that he’s dead... you still don’t believe it.” Luxord smiled at her narrowed eyes and the blade at his neck. “...his death was slow and torturous. Cut apart where he lay, yet still left to succumb to his wounds. You have the gory details that you desired, but what will that give you?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The images flashed through her mind, impossible to remove. Here, she had no hood to obscure the expressions on her face. His words had drained the colour out of her face. All of the righteous anger that she had held onto vanished. What would she have done with it? Xemnas was dead and Xigbar was supposedly missing. But Luxord was right there in front of her, wearing a grin that suggested that he had won their game instead of lost. The number of guests on the balcony had thinned out. Luxord leaned forward. He was taunting her, she knew it. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Turn over another card.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She tapped another of the floating cards. It turned itself over to reveal a tarot image, the hanging man. Xion met his eyes. “It’s almost as if you want me to kill you.” She muttered. “The hanged man...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...the craftsman of his own demise.” </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ve had enough of your games.” Her Keyblade cut through each of the cards displayed in front of her before it reached Luxord himself. He collapsed onto the stone of the balcony before dissolving into the wind like the copies he had created. It was beautiful, in a strange way, like fireflies dancing in the sky. But it did nothing to cure the lump in her throat or the empty ache in her chest.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion returned to the Destiny Islands with a heavy heart. She hadn’t stayed to hear the screams of the guests as they had watched someone – a gentleman, in their eyes – vanish before their eyes. It was likely than none of them had witnessed it before. They didn’t know the Organisation and what they had done.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi sat outside, in her pajamas. A smile lit up her face as soon as she saw her stumble back onto the beach. “Where have you been?! It’s been hours– I thought you were outside– what <em>were</em> you doing?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I finished off Luxord... it saves Riku the trouble.” She sat down beside her on the steps that led up to her home. Her voice was wary, exhausted although she had suffered little physical strain from the encounter.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Did that help? You told me that you wanted to clear your head.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...not really.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Would talking to me help? Come on, let’s get inside.” </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>A flick of a match brought light back to the room. Power cuts rarely happened but the infrastructure between islands was shaky. If it was tested, then the lights could go out at a moments’ notice. Xion lit a few candles and carried one to Kairi’s side.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi was humming a song they had heard on the radio as she adjusted the long cloak. It was made to fit someone taller than Xion and was haphazardly taken in at the arms to suit her. “I can add a pattern, or some fur on the inside–“ She kept suggesting ideas while she worked.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Maybe something like this?” Xion held up a jacket that she had borrowed from Kairi and never returned. It was made of denim, with flowers, palm trees and other patterns sewed onto the back. The stitches themselves were shaky and uneven, suggesting that the jacket was one of Kairi’s first projects. “Just the collar, I mean.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ll see what I can do. It’s been through a lot of wear, hasn’t it?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I never noticed.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ll show you.” Kairi took the candle and illuminated the back of the cloak. The fabric was worn-in, it’s colour dulled to a shade of grey in places. The edges of the cloak were torn from thorns, sharp rocks and fighting Heartless. Xion traced her fingers over it. It was uneven to the touch rather than smooth. She pulled her hand away after expecting her fingers to glide effortlessly over it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“How did I not notice...?” She repeated in a mumble. Xion glanced at Kairi, who had turned back to working on the tears in the cloak. “You didn’t have to repair it for me. You’ve done so much already since I arrived here...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...and you’ve done so much in return! Training, giving me a practice Keyblade, letting me fight with you... Riku wouldn’t have come around to any of those.” She grinned. A few scars remained against her skin, a reminder of her fight with Xemnas. The largest trailed down her arm, reminiscent of a scratch from a large claw. Xion, on the other hand, had too many scars to count. Having them meant that she was still alive.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not even eventually?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“He thinks I’m too precious to fight. I guess I understand why– I’m a Princess of Heart, he already lost one friend and he knows what’s out there better than I do. I don’t think he’s fully convinced now, but there’s nothing he can do about it. The next time he goes anywhere new, I’m going with him.” Her words were steeped in determination. They sounded like a promise.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The thought of Kairi and Riku traveling across worlds together brought a smile to her face. She reached over and took a sliver of pink paper from Kairi’s desk. Her fingers folded it into a paper star. The lid of her overflowing jar opened with a pop when she took it down from the windowsill and dropped the tiny origami inside. Each colourful star held a memory inside it, and the same wish.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’ll do great out there. I know you will.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–you sound like you won’t be coming along with us.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The suggestion startled Xion. “I’m coming with you?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi giggled. “Of course! If you want to. I was going to ask you earlier, but... it never seemed like the right time.” She started to sew a new collar onto the jacket. “There’s so much out there, outside of these islands, and I want you to show them to me. Who knows, maybe we’ll find a place that neither of us have been to?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That would be amazing, but...” Xion took another strip of paper from the side and rested her back against her bed while she folded it into another star.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“But... what?” Kairi’s smile fell. She reached out a hand to her and placed it over hers. Their hands were a similar size, as though Kairi was the reference that Xion was created from.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I... I talked with Naminé. She said that there was a way to bring Sora back, and that I can let them try whenever I’m ready. I told her that I’d wait until Axel came back. Then I would help her.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What do you need to do?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...just go to sleep, for a little while. That’s all, this time.” The smile on her face was sad, wistful, a million different emotions at once. She imagined that sleep would finally come easy to her. It would be peaceful. “You’ll get Sora back, and you can travel with him, too. You, Sora and Riku. And all it will take is a long rest.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What about you? Don’t think I’m going to forget about you! As soon as you wake up, we’ll give you the best day of your life.” Kairi entwined her fingers with hers and squeezed her hand tight. “You will wake up, won’t you?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion stretched and closed the lid on her jar of paper stars. She placed it back on the windowsill, next to Kairi’s own full jar. She hoped that Kairi wouldn’t have to make paper wishes for her as she did for Sora. “With Naminé and Ienzo’s help, I’m sure I will. But don’t wait for me... I want to hear about all of the adventures you’ve had when I wake up.” A laugh escaped her lips. “I bet you’ll have so many stories to tell...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I will, and I’ll tell you all about them. So, how does this look?” Kairi held up the modified cloak. It looked newer, the scratches and wear and tear of travel and combat erased by her friend’s skilful hand. Some patches of fabric remained a faded shade of grey but overall it seemed revitalised. A collar had been added to make the cloak look more akin to a long jacket or coat. Something that was Xion’s, rather than a symbol of belonging.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It looks... amazing. Thank you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s no problem! Are you sure you don’t want me to add little kitty ears, though? They’d look so cute on you!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah, I’m sure. No one will take me seriously if I walk around with fake cat ears.” Xion grinned.</p>
  <p>Kairi pulled up the hood of the minidress she had been working on the previous night to reveal that she had sewn a pair of cat ears onto it. The minidress was a bright shade of pink with a black leather belt attached to the waist. "Oh yeah? Trust me, one day they'll learn not to mess with a girl in cat ears."</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div class="">
  <p>The sky over the Destiny Islands was as bright as always. Birds soared overhead and fruits had started to sprout on some of the trees. Winter was almost over. It was a strange thought; so much had happened in such a short amount of time. Time passed so effortlessly on the Islands.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi stood in the doorway of her home. She wore a blue outfit that day, carefully coordinated. A pleated, pale blue miniskirt with a simple shirt and sensible shoes. She ran over to meet her. “Are you sure you don’t want to come to school? I can just say that you’re a transfer student.” She asked while Xion walked alongside her. “You don’t have to just walk me there.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...maybe someday.” Xion smiled at her. The thought of Kairi or Riku going to school was bazzarre to her. They had fought Xemnas together and Riku was working with Naminé to find former Organisation members – with no success aside from Ienzo – yet they still went to school like ordinary kids. “I’ve never been to school, so I wouldn’t know where to start.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well, you’d be in the same class as me, so I could help you out if you struggle with anything. I know it’d be different for you, but I think you’d like it!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I think so too.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It would certainly be different. Her ‘classes’ had been conducted in a basement. The laboratory had been cold and often damp. Kairi, with her bright eyes and smile made of sunlight, couldn’t possibly imagine being taught in the ways that she had by the Organisation. Xion couldn’t recall what ordinary children learned about, either. Hayner, Pence and Olette had told her a few things about their school but they didn’t mention what exactly they learned about. They must have assumed that she already knew.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What are you going to do all day while I’m gone?” Kairi asked when they reached the pier on the other side of the island that they called home. “I have to catch a boat to get to school, since it’s on one of the other islands. Each island is too small to have its own school.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion paused. “I didn’t get that far. I could go and visit Naminé, or take on some heartless.” She considered, partially to herself. However beautiful the islands were, there were few places to go.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>For a moment she entertained the idea of visiting Twilight Town. Pence, Hayner and Olette would be overjoyed to finally see her again. But she knew that the last time she had been there was with Axel, eating ice cream with him and her newer friends as if nothing could ever go wrong. It was better to avoid those memories, the ones made in golden sunlight. They were too perfect to be tainted by the present.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m sure you’ll be busy.” Kairi smiled over her shoulder at her as someone called that the boat to the school was about to leave. “I’ll see you after school!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion waved at her from the edge of the pier when the boat started to drive off into the stretch of sea between the two islands. When Kairi was nothing but a speck on the boat, she stood up and walked along the shore to the other side of the island. Heartless tended to avoid the islands, although for what reason Xion wasn’t sure. At least there was one safe haven, a single oasis amongst the vast expanse of worlds that she had visited.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She opened up a portal to travel through on a ridge of rock, close to Kairi’s home. Xion closed her eyes before she stepped through. She hadn’t travelled anywhere since the night that she had killed Luxord. There was no fear attached to the memory, nor any reason that Xion wouldn’t want to travel again. But there was uncertainty, as there always was, about who or what she would find outside of the islands.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her eyes were met with a familiar sight. A large town, filled to the brim with unfamiliar people. Xion kept to the edge of the crowds to avoid being swept up in them. Nothing in her conscious mind had led her there; she had never wanted to go there again. Somehow fate had forced her hand.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The square was much wider than the narrow streets that led to it. The space gave her a moment to breathe rather than handling the heavy air that came with the crowds of Traverse Town. But the square was oddly empty, compared to the last time that she had been there. Except for a small child, perched on top of the fountain. He was surrounded by a group of Heartless. How had they managed to reach this far-flung world?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion made her Keyblade appear in her hand. The glow emitted from it attracted the attention of the Heartless. They scuttled towards her, their antennae twitching as they attempted to attack her. Broad sweeps of her blade were able to take out multiple at once. These were weak creatures but she doubted they would seem so to the child or to the crowds of people that congregated nearby. Each and every one of them had been driven out of their homes by creatures such as these.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” She bent down to the kid’s level. He looked far younger than her, four or five at the oldest. The boy shook his head and hid underneath her cloak. Xion gave him a reassuring smile and let her Keyblade vanish into the air in front of him. “You’re safe now. Where are the people looking after you?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>No one had come forward after the Heartless had been cleared out. She doubted that anyone would leave a child as young as the boy alone unless they had no choice in the matter. “I don’t have anyone looking after me either. I can look for them with you, if you want.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The boy responded with a nod. His hand reached up to hold onto Xion’s while she took him through the quieter-looking streets. She couldn’t afford to lose him, not in these crowds. His hand was tiny compared to hers. He wore a tattered, torn t-shirt, either a hand-me-down or ruined by the Heartless. Wherever he had come from, like most that arrived in Traverse Town he was likely a victim of a world’s destruction.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion had never witnessed a world be consumed. She could imagine that it was one of the worst things to ever see. For the little boy, it must have been the most terror he had ever experienced in his short life. She squeezed her new companion’s hand, gentle as not to startle him. Then she picked him up and carried him in her arms. He was heavy for her arms but light for a boy of his age. Carrying him meant a lower chance of losing him before they could find his guardians.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When they turned a corner, they were met with quieter streets. Those that wandered there were residents of the town rather than those who stayed as long as they needed before they left again. Xion could hear her own footsteps against the path instead of being drowned out by the incessant, mumbling sound of many people talking at once.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re young, aren’t you, to be alone with a kid? Is that your little brother?” A woman asked them. She had a small fruit stand next to what Xion could only guess was her home. There was no other reason why her stall wasn’t in the centre of the town, where the seller could take advantage of the steady influx of people. “He looks hungry. Take these, and sit down with me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you, but I’m trying to find his parents.” Her eyes studied the stranger wearily. The little boy tugged at the edges of her cloak and pointed at a basket of strawberries. “And I don’t think I have enough to pay you back.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The shopkeeper handed the child the strawberries and patted a spot on the side of her porch. “It’s fine. Wait, haven’t I seen you before, with a friend? Spiky red hair, black cloak–?” She had reddish hair herself, and a scattering of freckles across her face. “Shame it’s not jam season, or I would’ve given you some to take back for him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“In Twilight Town.” Xion reached into a pocket in the side of her cloak, then pulled it out when her fingers traced over nothing but the metal of a few coins. She had expected to find a few slips of colourful paper inside. She sighed and sat where the seller had instructed. The boy sat on the grass, his face already covered with strawberry juice as he tucked into the fruit. “...Thank you. We did come through the town, a while ago. But he’s not around any more...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m sorry. Now... where did you find the kid? He has to have come here with <em>someone</em>– children don’t just appear like that.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“In the square. He was in danger, so I made sure that he wasn’t going to get hurt any more.” Xion was hesitant to mention the Heartless as the cause of the boy’s distress. Traverse Town was a resting point and a new chance for those whose worlds were consumed by the swarm of creatures. The idea of the Heartless reaching the town would be devastating, and it wasn’t her place to say anything. “After it was over, no one came forward to collect him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Is he hurt? Does he have a name?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, I checked. He... won’t talk to me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They watched the boy eagerly eat the strawberries. To Xion it seemed as though he hadn’t eaten in a long time. Otherwise there was no reason for him to be so enthusiastic about it. But he was a young child; his actions could suggest that he was alone after all, or nothing at all.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“If his guardians are still here, they’d be in the centre of town. I’ll come with you, so you don’t get lost.” She offered her hand to the boy.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion smiled at him in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. The fruit seller, although she was a stranger, was safe. His green eyes glanced at her before he reached up to grasp onto the seller’s hand. Their eyes were the only difference between the two. Both had messy, dark brown hair and a similar face shape. They could pass as a brother and sister. She shook her head to herself. She couldn’t take a young child back to the Destiny Islands, yet alone anywhere she may travel to after.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The fruit seller led them through side-streets that Xion couldn’t recognise to reach the centre of the town. It had changed little since she had last been there, although the cluster of emotions that she had felt when she had first arrived – excitement, wonder, confusion, sadness – had dulled. The scene looked to her as if it was cast over by rain clouds. Yet the sun was still shining over the mismatched crowds of Traverse Town.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Maybe if we ask around, see if anyone’s seen his parents, they’ll come forward?” The seller suggested. The boy hid under Xion’s cloak again when they entered the river of people. His hand was tightly holding onto that of the young woman and onto the edge of her cloak with the other. “I didn’t tell you my name before, did I? I’m Mavis.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We should give it a try.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Mavis tapped the shoulder of a man that looked old enough to be the boy’s father, or someone who might know his guardians’ whereabouts. “Excuse me, do you know this boy? Or where I can find his parents?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The stranger turned around and glanced down at the boy. His unwavering gaze made him hide behind Xion, peeking out from underneath her cloak. “Sorry, don’t know him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion approached a woman in similar ragged clothing to the child. When she noticed that the boy was shaking, she gently placed a hand on his head. “Are you okay? Do you know her?” She asked, fully aware that she wouldn’t get a verbal answer.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She felt someone bump their shoulder against hers. “Watch where you’re going–!” She said before she noticed the face that looked down at her. “Riku? What are you doing here? Are you investigating the Heartle–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–Come with me. I’ve got news you’d like to hear.” He appeared unbothered by the people that swarmed around him, a rock that held steadfast against a rushing river.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion’s gaze settled on the boy, who stared up at Riku with wonder in his eyes. Perhaps he looked heroic to him, like the character in a movie or comic book. She couldn’t tell what was going through his mind; distress, most likely, at being away from the people who knew and cared about him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku stepped back when he noticed that Xion had a child tucked underneath her cloak. “What is a kid doing here?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I saved him from the Heartless, now we’re trying to find his guardians. I can’t just leave him to go with you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>There was no surprise in his deadpan expression when Xion mentioned that there were Heartless in Traverse Town. Riku knew more about the happenings in the worlds than she did. Even if he hadn’t known about the Heartless before he had arrived in Traverse Town, he would have found out soon enough.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I can take care of him. I know the town, and if it turns out we can’t find the people who were looking after him, I know where to go to make sure he’s safe.” Mavis offered a smile to Riku. “Don’t worry, the kid’ll be safe with me!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion glanced over at Mavis and then at Riku before her eyes settled on the boy. He released the edge of her cloak from his hand and ran to Mavis, who held onto his hand. The boy smiled over at Xion, a cheeky-looking grin. The shock of being attacked seemed to be wearing off, albeit slowly. “...Okay. Thanks. So, Riku... what did you want to tell me?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku led her out of the crowds and stopped at a quiet street corner. The sun had begun to dip under the horizon to paint the streets gold and the sky pink and orange. It felt warm, safe. Riku took a deep breath before he finally told her the news. “We found Axel’s somebody. I thought you’d want to know.” His voice was less harsh and commanding than she often heard it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She knew that the day would come. The day that the wishes placed on hundreds of stars would be granted. She didn’t know whether to smile or cry; she wiped her eyes on her long sleeve. “He’s back... Where is he now?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Still in Hollow Bastion. Be careful– he’s confused and doesn’t entirely know what happened to him. Any of it. Don’t bombard him with memories he might not know how to handle. Come with me.” He turned around and continued down the street. The streetlights were dim and flickered as they walked past them. “...You don’t have to see him now. You can wait until he’s more adjusted-”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ve waited for months! You understand what this feels like...” Xion looked over her shoulder, past Riku and to the figures of Mavis and the child waving goodbye to her. “I’m going to find him, and I don’t need a chaperone. He’s my best friend.” Her lips twitched into a smile as she opened up her own portal before Riku could.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p></p><div class="">
  <p>It had been years since she had seen the crumbling ruins of Hollow Bastion. Her fingers traced along the worn stone walls as she crept through the archways of what had once been a great city. That was what she imagined it to be, decades before the Heartless had come. A city that shone with gold and marble, the centre of learning for people from worlds over. She paused for a moment. The certainty behind her theory felt as though she remembered it. Had Ventus seen Hollow Bastion before the Heartless? What about Axel?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion doubted that anyone could make a comfortable home amongst the wreckage. Axel had woken up there, undoubtedly, lost and alone. The Axel that she knew would be able to take care of himself, despite the situation he was placed in.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Isa? Hey, dumbass, I know you’re out here somewhere! What kind of game is this? Isa! Isa!” The voice was bitter as lemons. Deliberate footsteps, louder than her own, disturbed the gravel. “There you are–!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The stranger turned the corner and leaned an arm against the wall to trap her. “Wait... you’re not Isa.” He chuckled to himself but didn’t move away. “Sorry, kiddo. You seen Isa anywhere? Taller man, long blue hair? Can’t miss him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When Xion met his eyes, the man in front of her was no longer a stranger. The words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. All that she could think to do was wrap her arms around his waist and sob into his chest. Her determination and composure vanished. She felt him tense up, but he didn’t pull her off of him. Instead he gently placed a hand on top of her head.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What’s wrong kid? You lost someone too? Join the club. Can’t find Isa anywhere... and that boy from earlier vanished into thin air too. I’m having a weird day.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion wiped the tears from her face. “...No, I’ve found–“ The word ‘you’ was impossible to pass her lips. She blinked and stepped back. “Oh no... no... I’m sorry, Axel, I shouldn’t have– like that–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Axel? You’ve gotten your names mixed up. I’m Lea. Are you here with that boy– Riku? I saw him earlier, waving a Keyblade around... Good thing he was around to save my ass.” He crossed his arms. “Woke up and everything went to shit. Isa’s gone, Heartless are everywhere, and now this.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His correction brought tears to her eyes again. He looked exactly like Axel– weren’t Nobodies supposed to look different to their counterparts? “Right. I’m sorry.” She held onto one of her arms as if to hug herself.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t you have a name?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. His eyes were kinder than when she had last seen him. Even when Axel had been having fun with her, or comforting her, there had always been distance in his eyes. A cold core to the fiery outside. “Xion. I’m Xion... Don’t you remember me?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sorry, I can’t remember seeing you before.” He started to walk past her, towards the large building in the centre of the square. It’s shape suggested that it had been a castle once, or a similarly magnificent place. “See you around.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion reached out a hand to him but stopped herself from grabbing him. “Y-yeah...” She mumbled weakly. “You– you said you knew Riku, right?” She added as she ran after him. “He should be here soon! He was with me before I went here without him–!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea paused at the steps of the grand building. “Fine. I can wait for him here. What are you doing here, anyway? You never really answered that question.” He sat down on the top step and Xion did the same.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was difficult to avoid the habit of getting closer to him to siphon off some of the heat that radiated from him. That had stayed the same, like so many things about him. “I... came here to see you. Riku told me about you. We’re going to get you to somewhere less... ruined.” She blurted out. There was no point in lying to him. She couldn’t.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Just for me?” A grin lit up his face. “I must be popular today. I can’t go anywhere without Isa, though. He’d kill me for it. Wish he’d let me know where he went...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A pit formed in her stomach when she realised that Isa may not be alive for Lea to find anymore. When she saw his face, somehow full of joy, she thought twice about suggesting that to him. She idly brought her Keyblade to her hand and examined every tiny scratch and dent she had made in it already. Xion failed to notice Lea casting his shadow over it while watching her over her shoulder.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku turned a corner into the square. “...She’s with me. Did you manage to find this Isa?” He told Lea. “I ran into some more Heartless on the way here.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I haven’t seen him. It’s like he’s just... vanished, like he was never here at all. This whole place looks like it, actually.” Lea stood up. “Apparently you’re planning to take me away from here. Is that right?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Eventually, that was the plan. I understand that it feels like your whole world is falling apart right now, but I need you to trust me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You have no idea, no idea at all, about what’s been going on these past few days! I have no idea what happened to this place, I’ve lost my best friend and I don’t even know how long it’s been since everything was fine!” Lea held onto his head with a deep sigh. “...I’m sorry. I know you just want to help me out. You probably know way more about what’s going on than I do.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion gazed over at him. So that was what his cheerfulness was hiding. Lea was as explosive as Axel was, albeit more apologetic afterwards. She cautiously approached him. “It’s okay. You’re not alone any more. I’m sorry that–“ Her mind conjured vivid images of Axel’s demise, of him entering the Organisation’s fortress and never returning. Bittersweet memories of the last day that they had ever spent together. Xion withdrew despite the concern on Lea’s face.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku led her far enough away from Lea that he couldn’t hear them. “Are you sure that you can do this? You don’t have to see him if it brings back too much pain.” He reminded her. “It’s difficult, seeing someone who looks so much like someone you know and yet they don’t know you, or even hate you...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I have to be there for him. I can’t make the same mistake again.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“If you bring back too many memories at once, it could hurt him. Remember that this is Lea, not Axel.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I know... Will he ever get his memories back on his own?” Her eyes wandered to focus on Lea, who was watching the two murmur together while he sat on the steps.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We think so, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll become just like their Nobody. Don’t hold onto any hope that you’ll get Axel back.” He warned. “Do you want to take him to Castle Oblivion? Naminé made a room for him there.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion went back over to Lea. He smiled over at her but kept his distance. “Are you okay? You zoned out, then looked like you were going to start crying again. Did I do something wrong or something?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No... I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” She offered him a smile. Axel worried about her because he cared for her. Lea had no reason to do such a thing, to do or feel anything for her. The two of them were strangers, whether she wanted it that way or not. “If you’re not ready to go anywhere yet, you can stay here. Whenever you’re ready.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea let go of a deep breath. He looked past her to the crumbling fountain in the centre of the square. Water no longer spouted from it and the sun had left it dry. “I guess Isa will have to catch up with me... He always finds a way.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You two were close?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah, we are. I’ve never really gone anywhere without him... Even if it was a stupid decision that got us both into trouble.” He grinned. “He’s my best friend. Anyway, where’s this place you want to whisk me away to?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His words created a dull ache in her chest. Was it jealousy over the friendship of a young man that she had never met before, or remnants of loss? Lea’s presence was a reminder that Axel was lost to her for good.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’ll find out.” She imitated his light and carefree tone. Xion reached a hand out to him while a portal opened up behind her. “Come with me. Hold onto me and I’ll try and keep your heart safe from the darkness.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They landed outside of Castle Oblivion. The castle itself was a far cry from the delapidated building in Hollow Bastion. Xion narrowly avoided thoughts of when she had been there before, with Axel. He had tried to be heroic that day, she recalled. A habit that had stuck in the most dangerous way. Lea stumbled around for a moment, dazed. It made Xion giggle.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re not used to this kind of travel, are you?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea glanced over at her as though he was unsure if this was the correct place, or why she was still holding onto his hand.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We’ll have to tell Naminé that you’re here. She and Riku set up a room for you. It won’t be for long, I promise.” Xion led him into the castle. She couldn’t imagine what memories being inside could conjure for Lea; Axel had spent a long time in Castle Oblivion. He had never truly told her what happened there and neither had Naminé.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naminé met them in the entrance. Her hands were clasped together in front of her. She looked Lea over and pressed a finger to the side of her face in thought. After a moment she went over to them. “It’s good to finally meet you. And you are...?” She had to look up to meet Lea’s eyes when she stood in front of them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m Lea. Got it memorised yet?” He introduced himself, seemingly aiming his catchphrase at Xion rather than Naminé. “...And what’s all of this about ‘finally’?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m Naminé. I... think I have.” She turned their back to them and started to walk forward. Her steps hardly made a sound against the marble. When she realised that Lea wasn’t following her, she looked over her shoulder and beckoned him to follow. “There’s too much to explain now, and you must have had a difficult few days. I’ll tell you later.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naminé took them up a staircase to the second floor of the castle. Xion couldn’t remember the staircase ever being there before. The architecture of the castle was forever shifting to suit the needs of those that were there, whether those needs were conscious or not.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This is your room. I tried to decorate it a little but I don’t know what you like. I hope you like it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The room was eerily similar to Axel’s room in the fortress, so long ago. There were beanbags arranged in the corner of the room to sit in and a flame-like pattern on the bedsheets that Axel would have appreciated.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion glanced over at Lea. He held onto the side of his head and sat down on top of the bed. “Is it a headache?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea forced a smile. “Yeah. I‘ve had them ever since I woke up. It’s messing with my eyes, too. Is this normal?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I had them too.” She admitted. “I still do, sometimes... but focusing on the present helps. Who is here with me, or where I am. What do you see, Axel?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He stared aimlessly in front of him with no focus. Then his gaze found her eyes and he blinked. “Nothing. Just you. Without that scar on your face, on top of a tower somewhere. You looked happy, like you did when we showed up here.” Lea explained. “Why do you keep calling me Axel? I told you before, kid, that’s not me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea’s tone wasn’t angry, only frustrated. He had noticed that Xion’s eyes had shone with fresh tears as he described the scene to her. “You... remind me of him. That’s all.” She stood up with a sad smile. Lea’s eyes followed her, curious about where she was going and why she was leaving. Xion closed the door to the room behind her before she could let her composure slip.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter 29</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Her heart felt heavy when she returned to the Destiny Islands. She had found Axel, or what was left of him. That had been all she had wanted ever since she had sat with Riku on the shore and learned about what had happened to him. Was this truly what she had wished for?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Xion! Where have you been?” Kairi ran up to her. The delighted smile on her face vanished when Xion didn’t answer. Her gaze was fixed on the sea, watching the tide swallow up the rocks that they played on when the tide was lower. Kairi took both of her hands in hers and squeezed them. “Hey... what’s wrong?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I found him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Axel? That’s good, isn’t it?” She prompted. “He’s... doing okay?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...He’s fine. Confused, but... fine. He’s not the Axel I wanted to find. According to him, he’s not even Axel any more.” Xion berated herself for forgetting that Axel wasn’t coming back, not in the way that she wanted. Lea and Axel were almost as different as Roxas and Sora, or Sora and herself, although their appearances didn’t clearly display it. “I made a promise that after I found him, I would help Naminé bring Sora back. For you, and Naminé, and Riku... But how can I if I don’t feel like I’ve really found him?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi listened to her without a word of her own. “It’s kind of a long shot, but maybe you can try getting to know the ‘new’ Axel? If you spend some time with him, you might not feel like you spent all that time for nothing.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Should I even be near him? He has the same... memory problems... as me– I might be making them worse just by being near him.” She sat down on the small pier with Kairi. “It’s... not exactly painless for me, either. He looks just like him, but knows nothing about me or Roxas or <em>anything</em>.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well, does he want to be around you?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I... I don’t know. He seems friendly enough.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s worth a shot, right? Think over it, we can go and see him tomorrow!” Kairi grinned over at her with her head tilted slightly to one side. It made Xion smile too despite the jumbled worries that filled her mind.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion watched Kairi’s eyes wander in the direction of the room where Sora was kept. Still sleeping peacefully, she believed; if anything had happened to worsen his condition, she and Kairi would have been the first to be informed. They were about to ascend the stairs to the rooms that Xion had been shown the previous day when Lea blocked the way.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Mornin’! You’re up early.” He stretched, clearly not quite awake. “Who’ve you brought with you? The name’s Lea.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi returned the smile on his face. “Nice to meet you! I’m Kairi. We were going to head out for a bit, and we thought you’d like to come with us. Think of it as a welcoming gift.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sure. What do you have in mind?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–a picnic. By the beach. There isn’t a beach here, but we can go back to the Destiny Islands.” Xion cut in. She doubted that Axel had any significant memories related to the islands, at least not any that she could remember. Axel had kept details about his past, before he had met herself and Roxas, a closely guarded secret. “What do you think?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You almost made me faint the <em>last</em> time we travelled across worlds... Why not?” Lea swung an arm around each of their shoulders. Kairi grinned over at Xion while she looked up at Lea in surprise. She shook her head with a slight smile on her lips. Lea was far more trusting than Axel would ever be. It was difficult to tell whether she should find that quality endearing or foolish.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“If you held onto me like I said, it wouldn’t have been so bad.” She opened up a portal for the three to travel through. Before she invited Lea to step through with her, she glanced back over her shoulder, down the long corridor. Naminé would likely be at the end of it, working away with Ienzo. One day, she would be able to join them. Pulled back out of her thoughts, she took Lea’s hand and stepped through the portal with him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Huh... Better this time.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Told you. Welcome to the Destiny Islands.” Xion gave Lea time to soak up the sight of the pristine beach and become used to the feeling of the soft sand. The sea was a bright shade of blue; it was possible to see tiny fish travelling through the water.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi was setting up the picnic blanket. She found some rocks to pin down the colourful sheet with so that it didn’t blow away in the wind that whipped at her hair. Their food was packed in containers; sandwiches, fresh fruit, a cooler full of ice cream and soda. It wasn’t extravagant but it was enough for a simple picnic on the beach.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You really live here? Must be great, doing nothing but swimming and playing beach games all day.” Lea said wistfully, sitting down on the blanket. “I should’ve brought a frisbee, but I left mine at Isa’s and couldn’t find it when I went to his place.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yep! I mean, that isn’t all we do, but living by the beach sure has its perks.” Kairi handed him a drink and placed one on the blanket for Xion. “We should have a frisbee inside... I’ll go and get it for later.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion recalled how similar Axel’s weapons had looked to frisbees, how he had thrown them to break bones or parts of buildings. It was strange that his viciousness when fighting was something that she missed even when it had been used against her. In the end, that same brutality had been used to protect her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hey! Earth to Xion!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She turned around and realised that she was still standing where she had landed when they had arrived there. Lea waved at her in an attempt to get her attention and patted the blanket next to where Kairi had placed the can of soda. “Oh... right. Thank you.” She sat down and felt the wind tugging at her hair. “Sorry, I... get caught up in my own head, sometimes.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well, I’ll have to keep pulling you out of it, then. What’s so interesting in there, anyway?” He rested his head on his hand and took a bite of one of the sandwiches. “Who made these, you or Kairi? They’re good.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Both of us.” Xion relaxed her tense body when she realised that she didn’t have to answer the first question that Lea had asked. The thoughts that swirled around in her mind weren’t for Lea to hear. “We woke up extra early today to make everything. Except the ice cream.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea peeked inside the cooler that held the ice cream. “Blue ice cream, huh? What flavour is this... blueberry?” He questioned. He reached a hand inside to take one of the ice creams but slowly took it out after a raised eyebrow from Xion. “Doesn’t look like any flavour I’ve had.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s sea salt, from a stall in Twilight Town. I think it’s the only place that makes it. Trust me, it’s good. I know you’ll like it. We–“ She narrowly prevented herself from saying any more and closed the lid of the cooler with a quiet click. Xion tried to swallow but there was a lump in her throat.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We... what?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion glanced over at him. She attempted to ignore how the sunlight lit up his eyes. They were so much brighter now, filled with joy rather than constant alertness and suspicion. “We sometimes just sit on top of the clock tower and eat it after a long day...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Clock tower... like the tower I told you about yesterday? I can’t stop thinking about it. You and someone else, sitting and laughing together. Showing me a Keyblade, but not the one you have now... Did that actually happen? Am I just forgetting it?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The silence had grown uncomfortable. Xion shifted where she sat. She guessed that Naminé hadn’t explained Lea’s situation to him. “Yeah, like that one.” She smiled at him. She remembered the scene too, intimately; Roxas’s laugh when they saw Axel’s surprised face, the feel of the Kingdom Key in her hand. The grip had always felt familiar, eerily so, as if she had held it before but she hadn’t been able to remember. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Did it happen? It feels so real, even if it didn’t...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...It happened, but you weren’t there. It... doesn’t matter now.” She watched Kairi run towards them with a frisbee in her hand. Lea’s confused expression vanished, which she took to mean the end of the conversation. It was for the best; she doubted that Lea wanted to recall any of Axel’s more painful memories.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“So, Lea. What was it like living in Hollow Bastion?” Kairi asked to fill the dead air. Xion took a sandwich and bit into it, curious about Lea’s answer herself. Hollow Bastion had been invaded by heartless for longer than she could remember. She figured that it must have been difficult for anyone to scratch out a living on such a desolate world.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh, that’s what you call it now...” He murmured under his breath. His words were carried away by the wind. Lea looked over at Kairi with a crooked smile before he answered. “I can’t say it would be that different to living anywhere else. But it was always full of life– plants in the gardens, children running around all over the place... I don’t know what happened to it, but I surely didn’t sleep through a Heartless invasion. Isa would probably say it’s more likely than I think, though.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion finished her sandwich and leaned forward, intrigued. “Where did you wake up?” She glanced over at Kairi to see her own curiosity reflected in her gaze.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Where I work, or used to work. Just... on the floor. The entire place looked abandoned. The door wasn’t working– some kind of magic– so I escaped through a window and went home.” Lea explained. “So I guess I was just knocked out, instead of sleeping.” He reclined against the blanket. Wisps of cloud drifted aimlessly across the sky. They carried no chance of rain. “Finally, something that makes sense.” His voice was filled with nothing but relief.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi seemed puzzled but she didn’t say anything. Instead she took another sandwich and offered the last one to Lea, which he gratefully took. His earlier light tone had almost seemed to contradict his words.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion watched them before she moved closer to Lea. “Can I lay down here with you? It looks... peaceful.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea waved his hand in a dismissive manner, although not without a grin on his face. “You don’t have to ask, you know.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She gazed up at the sky and attempted to find pictures in the clouds. It felt natural, normal, to share these moments. Calm, quiet, peaceful. It was nothing like anything that she or Axel had been through together. Xion felt her chest rise and fall, relaxed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hey, do you think this one looks like a Keyblade...?” She pointed up at one of the clouds. Her arm hesitantly lowered. “You... you can see the hilt, and the blade itself... right... there.” Xion paused and turned her head to look at Lea. For a moment she had forgotten that the young man beside her was practically a stranger.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah, it does. That one next to it kinda looks like a star.” Lea noticed the shakiness of her voice. “Xion, you– alright? Something wrong?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No... I’m fine. I’m fine.” Xion scrambled to her feet. She noticed that Lea had started to hold onto his head again and had squeezed his eyes shut. What memory had her words conjured up? She turned around to see Kairi behind her with her hand rested against her shoulder.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I said I’m fine. Can you... see if he’s okay? I... I don’t think I can do it. I don’t want to do any of this any more.” Her eyes begged Kairi to be a better friend to him than she could. “This was an awful idea...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi offered her a reassuring smile. “Do you want me to take him back to Castle Oblivion?” Her question was answered with a shake of her head. “You don’t have to be with him if it hurts. I’ll go and talk to him.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion could hear their conversation from where she stood. She kept to herself while Kairi went over to speak with Lea. Her fingers traced over the scar on the side of her face. If only Axel had given her a less painful memento, like the charm that Roxas had made. She imagined Axel making the charm with him, his fingers fumbling over the edges of the delicate shells and other objects. She doubted that it would have ever happened; Axel had never been the artistic type.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Lea, is anything wrong?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Agh– it’s just a headache or something. It happens.” Lea’s answer was greeted with a disbelieving look from Kairi.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She sat down beside him. She had spent many nights consoling Xion about her own memories and easing her back into reality. “Did you see anything, even for a second? Something you didn’t see before? You can trust me to not tell anyone.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Was Xion’s face bleeding, earlier? From that scar?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No... that was in your mind. Are you still seeing things now?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea surveyed the space in front of him. “Palm trees, the sound of the sea, Xion standing by the shore and you in front of me. That’s it.” His gaze hovered over Xion. “I thought I’d hurt her– I didn’t even touch her! I don’t understand... What’s going on?!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I don’t know either, not really. Naminé said that she would tell you, didn’t she? Why you can’t remember much?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah, she did... but I don’t want answers from her. Not before I get what’s going on with Xion.” Lea stood up and picked up three ice creams from the cooler. He handed one to Kairi, then stepped onto the sandy shore.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion didn’t have time to turn around before Lea had offered an ice cream to her. “What’s this...?” She asked. Her voice sounded choked, as though she had been crying.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s the ice cream you told me about earlier. I thought it’d cheer you up. Take it before it melts all over my hand.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She took a step away from him. “I... I’m a little sick of ice cream. It brings back too much... too many memories... I’m sorry. Bringing you here was a bad idea, and I knew that this would happen!” Xion wiped tears from her eyes.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Was it something to do with me? And this... Axel?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Everything you do reminds me of him. It feels like he’s here, sometimes, but... he’s not. And he... never will be, not like he was before. He was the last piece of my old life I had left.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...with Roxas.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion nodded and picked up a small, pale shell to slip into her pocket. “Yeah. With Roxas.” She repeated. “How... how did you know that?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I kept screaming that name in my head, for some reason. While I was acting weird earlier.” Lea bit into his ice cream. “So, Roxas was the other person on top of the tower?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“He was. Axel– I mean Lea... are you–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea held a few fingers to his eyes. “I... didn’t know I was crying too. Look at us, huh? Two massive crybabies.” He laughed as a few tears rolled down his cheeks. “What would Roxas think of us now?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion thought that he would wonder, like she had, what had happened to Axel. Roxas would want to bring him back, and do anything in his power to do so. But when she looked at Lea, she could see nothing but Axel. She didn’t imagine that would ever change. She hadn’t brought him back, but occasionally, when Lea smiled at her, she could pretend that she had.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter 30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Rays of bright morning sunlight hit her face. Kairi shifted in her bed across the room, bundled up in the covers despite the heat of summer in the Destiny Islands. Xion sat up and peeked through the curtains. Sunrise had painted the sky pink and made the clouds look like candyfloss.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She hopped down from her makeshift bed and pulled on the floral, purple-and-white summer dress that Kairi had given her. Into a bag she placed the jar of paper stars from the windowsill as well as her cloak. After thinking for a moment, she pulled the cloak out of the bag and shrugged it on over her dress. The black fabric reached to her ankles, far longer than the dress underneath it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion stood on the shoreline to listen to the waves and the early sounds of fishermen. This part of the island was more active during the summer, when the fish were plentiful and the fruit was ripe. She noticed small boats in the ocean and imagined building a raft to see how far it would take her. Was there anything to this world beyond the Destiny Islands? For all she knew, there could be other islands out there.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Isn’t it a bit early to be out and about?” Riku asked. The sound of his voice made her jump back. There had been no letters to Kairi, or any warning that he would be visiting.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I have a lot to do today. That’s all.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“More than any other day?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Why do you care?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku folded his arms. Xion found it hard to understand him. The two of them no longer fought as they had before, but she couldn’t say that she was Riku’s friend. They had a common goal of some kind and that was it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Nevermind then. I was just wondering.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Today is my last day. I’m going to make it count.” When she recognised Riku’s raised eyebrow, she lowered her voice. “At the end of today, I’m going to see Naminé.” Xion clasped her hands together. “I think I’m ready to try and bring Sora back.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku gently placed a hand on the top of her head. “Is this what you want?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yes. Nothing would make me happier than waking up and seeing you all... happy. I’ve finished off the Organisation, so... this is the last thing I need to do.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Have you told Kairi yet?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion scuffed her shoes against the ground to create dents in the sand. They were effortlessly covered over by the movement of the waves. “I told her, but... not that I was going to do it now. I said that I would wait for Axel to come back.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...And he hasn’t.” Riku sighed and turned around. His eyes hovered over the house. Inside, Kairi was still sleeping. “You should tell her. I don’t want to see her face when she finds out you left without her.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I will. I’ll tell her before I go to Castle Oblivion.” Xion agreed. “And Riku?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He paused in his tracks. “What?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thanks. For giving me a chance.” She smiled and waved at him as though they were old friends. Riku looked towards the fishermen and their boats with fondness before he started to walk towards the cluster of houses nearby. She tended to forget that Riku had family on the islands.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Once Riku was out of her sight, she travelled to the first of her destinations. Xion appeared in the stairway in Castle Oblivion that led up to Lea’s temporary room. It had been a few days since she had last seen him. She hovered by the door, hesitant, before she knocked. Axel had always been a late sleeper. What if she had woken him up?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The door swung open. Lea was sitting on his bed in a large grey hoodie. He didn’t seem concerned that Xion had arrived so early in the morning. She couldn’t tell how long he had been awake for – his eyes were bright as usual and it was impossible to say whether he had a bed-head or if he was awake enough to brush his hair. “Hey Xion. Come in!” He gave her a crooked smile and patted a spot on the other end of the bed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion returned the smile and closed the door slowly behind her. She sat down cross-legged on top of the covers. “I... wanted to know if you wanted to come somewhere with me. But I guess it’s too early for that, isn’t it?” She explained. “Why are you up so early? I didn’t mean to wake you up.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea stretched. “Had a lot to think about. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. It... keeps you awake at night.” He paused for a moment. “Y’know, you probably know more about me than I do right now. Good thing you’re here, of all people.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I do?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Yesterday, Naminé finally said why everything was so strange for me. Radiant Garden, Isa, you, all of it. She said that it was because I was someone else.” He glanced away from her. His eyes lost their glimmer for a moment. “So that’s why you kept calling me Axel, or don’t say my name when you call me over. Because to everyone here, I’m not Lea.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Do you... do you remember now?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He rubbed the side of his head as if to jog his memory. “Yeah. I remember Roxas, and you, and all the others. Memory’s still a little spotty but it’ll clear out in a couple weeks. Naminé’s trying to sort it out for me. Don’t know if I want it to, really, judging from what I already remember...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His words stirred up discomfort in her. She couldn’t think of anything, aside from Axel’s death, that would be enough to make him not want to remember himself. “Like what?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...It doesn’t matter! All I know is that that’s not who I am! But that wasn’t... not me, was it? Hunting you down, giving you that scar across your face, killing Isa–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–Isa?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Naminé called him something different, but it was him. I’d recognise my best friend anywhere.” Lea stood up. His shoulders shook with heavy breaths as he turned away from her. “Of course I didn’t see him, even when I searched the whole city for him... I still can’t believe that that was me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion watched him pace around the room while he muttered to himself, too quiet for her to hear his exact words. When he passed her she reached out and took his hand. “...It’s true that all of those things happened. But you travelled across worlds with me, too, and were there for me and Roxas when we needed you. You were a good friend, Axel, and everything you did in the end was to protect me and avenge Roxas!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His eyes were glazed over with unshed tears. She started to let go of his hand but Lea squeezed it instead. His grip was too tight. “They used you to kill him.” He sat down beside her. “And I– he– almost took the bait.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“But you didn’t, and they’re gone now. They’re going to end up like you– lost and confused but not like they were before.” She hoped that Riku would find more lost souls and guide them away from repeating their previous life as a Nobody again. Perhaps she could join him, one day. She was unlikely to drag up fractals of memory from the recesses of their minds and hearts; her face was unmemorable by design.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion stood. “Axel wasn’t perfect, but he did anything for his friends. I think that’s still something to be proud of. That he’s part of you, somewhere.” She cleared her throat. “Do you... still want to go out with me? I think we both need some fresh air, to clear our heads.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He took in a sharp breath. “Yeah... So, where are we going this time?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re going to like it.” She smiled over at him. “There’s a few people I’d like you to meet. They’re good friends of ours. Well, mine.” Xion noticed Lea’s eyebrows furrow while he rested a hand on the side of his chin. He appeared to be scouring his memories for the identities of the friends that she had mentioned. She tugged on his hand a little, which made him stop and look at her. “...Let’s go. I said I wouldn’t keep them waiting.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The square of Twilight Town was unexpectedly busy. Children walked to school together in small groups of three or four. Most chatted as they went, excited for the new day, while others led their younger siblings. All were dressed in the same uniform; a neat-looking button-up shirt, paired with a pleated skirt or trousers.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Xion, Axel, over here!” Olette waved to her from nearby. The three of them blended in with the other children so effortlessly. It was a reminder that they belonged there, while she and Lea stood out. The passers-by cared little about their presence, though, more focused on getting to school than the strangers.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion grabbed Lea’s hand again and took him over to them. Although Hayner, Pence and Olette were taller than when she had last visited, Lea towered over them. He waved back at them. His friendly smile faltered and his steps started to drag against the stone when he heard Olette. They stopped for a moment, out of earshot of the others.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re sure this is a good idea, right?” He had to lean down to mutter into her ear. Lea stuffed his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. “I mean, they <em>knew</em> me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion nodded. “They’re the most ordinary people you’ve ever met.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Compared to everyone else... Yeah. Tell ‘em to tone it down with all the ‘Axel’ crap, okay? I don’t need any more reminders...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She gazed around at the familiar scenery in front of them. For a while, this had been home for her, and for longer than that, a safe place to run away from the life she had with people who cared about her. The shadow of the clock tower was a comforting sight. She doubted that Lea would view the town in the same way that she did.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Hayner approached them with a grin. His eyes scanned over Lea. “Did you get rid of the tattoos under your eyes? After you left, I tried to convince my parents to let me get one, but they wouldn’t let me.” He shrugged. The frustration and annoyance that he would have felt at his parents was long-gone.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea placed a finger over his skin, where one of the odd marks under his eyes would have been. His body appeared to subconsciously remember them, as though they were a scar that had healed over. But the upside-down teardrops were far too perfect to be scars.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Pence cut in before Lea could open his mouth to reply. “...then you drew them on and forgot about it while we were swimming–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“And it looked like clown makeup!” Olette finished, giggling.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion couldn’t help but join in. Lea had a smile on his face and was trying not to laugh at the image they had put in his head. He no longer had a pensive, serious look on his face, which Xion could feel nothing but relief for.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–Hey! Stop laughing at me!” Hayner protested.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It was funny.” Xion insisted. She glanced up at Lea. “...This isn’t Axel. Lea is... someone I met in Hollow Bastion. Lea, this clown is Hayner. And there’s Pence and Olette.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Hayner crossed his arms and looked unimpressed. Are you trying to prank us? He looks exactly like him!” His eyes narrowed at them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, she’s right. I’m Lea, not Axel.” Lea confirmed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It did little to remove Hayner’s suspicions, but Olette smiled at him sweetly. Everything about Olette was sweet; Xion couldn’t remember her seeming anything but. “Don’t mind him, he’ll come around soon. We don’t have long before school starts, and we’ll get in trouble if we don’t show up again, so we should go.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Go to where?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion shrugged in response to Lea’s question. “I don’t know. I only told them to meet me here– I didn’t make any plans. So I guess it’s a surprise.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’ll know where we’re going once we get there.” Pence told them while Olette and Hayner led the way through the cobblestone streets. They stopped when they reached a den at the end of a dark, narrow alleyway. Xion’s eyes lit up when she first saw the secret hideout.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This is it?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Olette ignored Lea’s tone while Hayner huffed and went inside. “This is it! Do you mind waiting outside for a moment? Pence will tell you when to come in.” Pence nodded and stepped aside to let Olette into the den.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I used to sleep here. When I first left the Organisation, this was my home.” Xion’s words were wistful and soft, like the wisps of cloud that drifted overhead. “They thought I was a ghost, once, protecting them from Heartless by night.” The memory of it made her laugh to herself. “They... taught me to be happy again after losing everything.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You ran away, huh?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You know what I did. I didn’t have a choice after that. It was never really a home to me, anyway.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This tiny den couldn’t have been comfy. Where was your bed?” Lea turned the conversation to a lighter topic.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“A sleeping bag. You should go camping sometime, I think you’d like it.” Xion hoped that Lea remembered all of the nights that she and Axel had spent sleeping rough, under the stars. The sky had looked just as beautiful in every world that they had visited.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He rested his back against the side of the brick wall. “How about you, me, Riku, Naminé and Ienzo? They could all use a break. I don’t even think Naminé sleeps at all, whenever I’m awake she’s always there, at her desk or watching Sora float in his egg-thing.” He paused to mutter to himself. No, wait, Riku wouldn’t take a day off from whatever he’s doing, and we should take Kairi along too...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“When? I... I meant in the future, sometime...” Xion focused on her feet. Lea’s half-baked plans reminded her that she wouldn’t be able to go camping with her friends, not in the near future. Nor would she give Naminé and Ienzo the long-needed break that they certainly needed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Okay, you can go in now! Everything’s ready.” Pence interrupted Lea before he could open his mouth. Lea glanced over at Xion. Her expression had stopped being somber, her eyes no longer downcast. Her face was joyful again, although if he examined it closely enough he could notice the mixed emotions behind it like discovering old wallpaper after the paint had been stripped away.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The den had been redecorated since she had last been inside. An old TV was positioned in one corner, with a gaming system attached to it. She could imagine Hayner, Pence and Olette coming back after school to have video game tournaments together. Colourful bunting, possibly left over from a festival or party of some kind, lined the walls and hung over the entrance as they had stepped inside.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>On the table in front of them sat a large cake, smothered in blue icing. It dripped down the sides of the vanilla sponge to make it look like Xion’s Keyblade. It was decorated with tiny stars and candles that lit up the darkened hideout.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We remembered that you didn’t celebrate your birthday while you were with us, and everyone has a birthday. So we made a cake for all the birthdays you didn’t celebrate!” Pence explained. “...We didn’t know how many birthdays that was, so we used a whole pack of candles.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion stared at the cake as though she was transfixed by it. Her eyes shone and reflected the tiny flames of the candles. There were fourteen in total. Fitting, being the former no. XIV. In fact, she wasn’t sure how old she was, or when she had been created. That time had always been blurry to her. “Thank you so much...! I’ve never had a birthday party before...” She admitted. “Am I meant to blow out the candles?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yeah! Then we can start eating the cake.” Hayner swung an arm around her shoulders. “Happy all-birthday, Xion!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Pence and Olette repeated the good wishes as she blew out the candles. One stubborn flame refused to blow out, so she tried again. Once all of the candles were trailing smoke, Pence cut the cake and gave each of the guests a slice. Music played from a salvaged CD player. It was unrecognisable to Xion but she still hummed along to the easily memorable chorus.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Aren’t you going to dance? The others are up there, and you’re the guest of honour.” Lea asked. He had a plate in his hand and another half-finished slice of cake.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What about you? I don’t see you dancing with them either.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea shrugged. “I’ve never been one for dancing. I thought you said you could dance? I mean, you showed me yourself, back at that party we crashed.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You remember that?” It was impossible to hide her disbelief. She had never mentioned that night to him, the night that she had attempted to teach Axel how to dance. The word ‘we’ made her smile although she knew that Lea would backtrack if she drew attention to his choice of words. “This... isn’t the same kind of dancing.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Go on, just ask someone else to dance with you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Okay.” She performed a over dramatic curtesy to Lea and extended her hand to him. “Dance with me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her request earned her a laugh from him. “No way! Go have fun, I have cake to finish.” He held up his paper plate and took a bite of the cake to make his point clear. “Oh, and Olette wants you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Olette bounded over to her. The school skirt that she was wearing bounced along with her steps. “Are you having fun? We’ve been planning this for a while, and when you said you wanted to meet up we decided this was the perfect opportunity!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This is great, I’ve never had anyone celebrate my birthday like this before. I don’t know how to thank you!” Xion had to raise her voice to be heard over the loud music.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The other girl grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the space designated as the dance floor. “Dance with us, for a start. We should do this every year!” She started to dance along to the music while Xion tried to copy her movements.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion wasn’t certain if she would be able to do this again, next year. How long would it take, to be separated from Sora? Naminé had never given a solid amount of time to rely upon. How many of these birthday parties would she miss? How many moments, surrounded by those that she cared about?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It wouldn’t be an all-birthday then, would it?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I guess not, but that wouldn’t make it any less fun! We’ll do it on a weekend, next time, so we don’t have to stop for–“ An alarm clock on top of the table started to ring. Olette stopped dancing. “...School.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Pence turned off the music. Hayner only stopped dancing a few minutes afterwards. Xion wished that they could have continued the party for a short while longer. She ran over to the trio before they left the secret hideout and hugged them tight. “I’m going to miss you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You know where we are!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Come back soon, okay?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Hayner was the last to reply. “Where to this time? Where’s so far away that you won’t be able to see us soon?” He asked. His gaze hovered over Lea for a moment, expecting him to know. The last time that Xion had left, she had left with Axel, excited for their future travels.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...There’s something I need to do. I... made a promise, a long time ago.” Xion tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a smile. “It’s something I could’ve done a long time ago, but I’m ready now.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Whatever it is, good luck!” Hayner turned and ran out of the hideout to catch up with Olette. From how rushed they were, Xion had a feeling that Hayner, Pence and Olette were already late for school.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea watched them leave and played with the buttons on the CD player. “That leftover cake... we should give it to Naminé.” He suggested. His face lit up when he recognised a song and started to tap his feet to the beat of the music.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re thoughtful today.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“She’s been a big help. What do you mean? I’m always thoughtful.” Lea shrugged. “And I’m sorry for standing you up earlier, kid. Want that dance now? It’s not dancing with Axel or anything, but... you asked.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion stepped onto the makeshift dancefloor. During the party, she had discarded the cloak to only wear the summer dress underneath. It had seemed more suitable for the occasion. Lea twirled her around to the music, a more light-hearted kind of dance than the dance she had tried to teach Axel. She couldn’t stop laughing. After a short time, she almost fell into him. The den was spinning while she was stationary.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This is exactly like dancing with Axel.” She giggled as Lea helped her back to her feet. Her hands covered her mouth when she realised what she had said. Lea stared blankly at her. “I’m sorry, I–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Do you want to head off now? You look too dizzy to do any more dancing.” He was still smiling despite Xion’s mortified expression. “We need to give Naminé that cake.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Okay. Lea...” She told him while they left the secret hideout. “I wanted to ask you if you could look out for them for me. Hayner, Pence and Olette.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lea brushed off her sincere request. “Oh come on! Those kids look like they can look after themselves. Besides, what use am I? No fighting skills, no cool weapons... What was that promise you made?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s a long story. The only part that matters is that I won’t be able to see them for a while. And they’re <em>normal</em>... I think people like us need friends like them. To keep us sane.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Things have been weird lately... I guess I could use a place to get away from it all.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Let’s go to the clock tower and sit at the top! The view is amazing... but you probably already knew that, don’t you?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A distant look crossed Lea’s face. “Yeah, but I’d like to see it for myself.” He ruffled Xion’s hair and grinned down at her when she protested. “I’ll race you there!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What, to the top?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Why not?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion sat on top of the clock tower alone. Her legs dangled over the sides. She let go of a deep breath when she realised that this was the last time that she would see this sight for an unknown amount of time. She saw a hand grip onto the side of the tower and extended her own hand to a tired Lea.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Need some help? Racing me to the top wasn’t a great idea, was it?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Lemme guess... you... you just teleported all the way up here...” Lea sat down on the edge with heavy breaths. When Xion didn’t respond, he stood up and tapped her shoulder. “Xion?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion turned around, startled. Her feet were dangerously close to the edge of the tower; small pieces of marble slipped off of it. Lea pulled her towards him. Rather than shake him off, Xion kept her gaze on the horizon.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Beautiful, isn’t it? The sunset? If we went back to Castle Oblivion, or the Destiny Islands, it would still be daytime.” Xion said after a short while. She tucked her knees up to her chest. “I like that I can come here and see this whenever I want.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It is, but... why did you take me here? I know you wanted me to meet your friends, but we’re... not that close.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion’s gaze caught his eye. It was focused entirely on him rather than the golden-lit scenery behind him. “I wanted to spend one last moment here, in our favourite place... It’s not the same, I know, but being here feels like all of it was worth something. That I did something with the time I was given.” Xion chuckled to herself. “I’m not making any sense to you, am I?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not one bit.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She stood up and pulled up the hood of her cloak. “...I need to go.” Xion turned around and watched a swirling pool of darkness appear in front of her. She stopped, the portal shrinking with each passing second until it disappeared. “I’ll take you back to Castle Oblivion. Sometimes I forget that you can’t travel between worlds so easily now.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Who knows, maybe I’ll learn how. Then <em>I</em> can beat <em>you</em> next time!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Maybe.” She reminded herself that Lea would have all the time in the world to regain the abilities he had as Axel, if he wanted to. It would be something strange to wake up to.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Chapter 31</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Xion crept down the staircase that led to Lea’s room. Her hand held onto the marble corner as she stopped on the last step. She peeked around the corner to check if Naminé or Riku were walking along the corridor ahead. When she heard footsteps, she pressed herself against the wall.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Oh, it’s you. Have you come to see Naminé?” Ienzo adjusted his glasses and stood in front of her. His presence did little to coax her out from the stairway. Zexion had never been kind to her; she had often caught him staring at her and making notes, observing her like another experiment. “She’s just up ahead, and I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Not yet, Zexi– Ienzo– I have to go–!” Xion stammered before she made a dash for the exit. Her sudden onset of anxiety caused Ienzo to watch her leave with an utterly confused expression. When her eyes met the bright sunlight of the world outside the castle, she breathed a short sigh of relief.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Her relief only vanished at the thought of seeing Kairi again. She had left her asleep, comfortable, relaxed. Xion didn’t know how she would feel to wake up to see that her bed was empty and her bag was gone. Would Kairi believe that she had left for good, without a word?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion arrived on the Destiny Islands with shaking hands. She had told Kairi about what she had to do before. It was the only way for Sora to be whole again, to heal the wound that had been torn into so many hearts. The only way to do so without sacrificing herself completely.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She saw Kairi from a distance. Her friend was gazing up at a tree with star-shaped fruits. Xion was unable to tell what emotions laid behind her eyes. Her entire body was shrouded in shadow. To Kairi, she must have been gone for most of the day. Xion ran over to her, her heels kicking up sand as she went.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Kairi!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi turned around. There was a grin on her face, welcoming her home. The islands had been just as much of a home to Xion as they were to Kairi, who had lived there for most of her life. It was a sanctuary, a resting place. Xion was convinced that she shouldn’t have stayed for so long, but the gleam in Kairi’s eyes when she saw her told her otherwise.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Where have you been? I saw Riku earlier, and he didn’t know where you went either.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“To Twilight Town. I needed to see some old friends. I... took Lea with me. I guess you were right that I couldn’t push him away when he needed a friend.” She explained. There was no reason to hide the truth from her. “What’s so interesting about this tree?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She pointed at one of the fruits on the tree. While the others were a shade of green, it was a bright, edible shade of yellow. “The paopu fruits are ripe. There’s a story about them– if two people share a bite from the fruit, they’ll always be a part of each other’s lives. No matter what.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The story almost sounded like the promises they had made to each other, to never leave the other behind. Xion opened her mouth as if to say something but thought better of it. “Why, do you have someone you want to share it with?” She said instead.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I did, but... I never had the chance.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion clasped both of her hands in hers. “I’m going to give you that chance. I promise. It’s the least I can do for you... You mean a lot to me, Kairi.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...What’s all this for?” Kairi giggled. Her laugh seemed less genuine than when she had been telling her about the fruits that hung above them. When she noticed the determination in her voice, she dropped her sunny disposition. “Is something wrong?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m going to make sure that one day, you can sit under this tree and tell him that you want to be a part of his life forever. I’m ready now... at least I think I am.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you sure? You told me that you’d do it after you found Axel, and–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She shook her head. “I know what I said. Axel is still my best friend, he always will be. I... I can’t do anything to bring him back, not like before, but I can bring back Sora. He’d love nothing more than to see you and Riku again. And I’d love nothing more than to just be... me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi wiped tears from her eyes before they could roll down her cheeks. “Aren’t you made of Sora’s memories? Without them, won’t you–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Kairi.” She tapped the side of her head with a smile, then placed her hand over her heart. “I’m going to be okay. My own memories are enough.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion thought of days spent with Roxas and Axel, her time living in Twilight Town and nights with Axel under a hundred different skies. She saw Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Lea– the millions of different memories almost made her head spin. Each and every one was hers alone.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She stumbled backwards under the force of Kairi’s embrace. “I’ll be the first person you see when you wake up, okay? And I’ll make sure that I have stories to tell, like I said...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I can’t wait to hear them.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They started to walk along the beach, hand in hand. The shore was familiar to Xion now, every small outcrop of rocks and fishing spot. They didn’t talk much except to point out dolphins’ fins poking out of the sea. Even so, she knew that Kairi was happy.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion noticed something glitter amongst the sea foam and reached down to pick it up. It was a tiny glass bottle, filled with sand but otherwise empty. The cork had been removed by the waves along with what could have been inside.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What are you going to use it for?” Kairi asked while Xion drained the water and sand out of the bottle.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’ll see. Come on, let’s go inside.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The house was quiet as usual. Kairi’s guardian tended to be out at work on one of the larger islands, so they often had the house to themselves until the evening. Kairi made them both some lemonade while Xion climbed the stairs to Kairi’s bedroom.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She sat down at the desk and took her jar of paper stars out of the bag she had carried with her. There were a few strips of yellow and green paper on the desk. Xion took a few of her stars, purple, pink and blue, and dropped them into the bottle. After a short time, two paper paopu fruits joined them. She sealed the charm with a blue ribbon and attached a short, gold-painted chain she had found.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi carried the glasses of lemonade upstairs and placed one beside Xion. “What are you making?” She leaned over to get a closer look at the charm.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s just a charm. Can I have your Keyblade? I want to see if it works. Think of it as... a parting gift.” Xion glanced up at her. The charm wasn’t as intricate as she would have liked but Kairi seemed delighted at the idea of receiving it nonetheless.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi summoned her Keyblade. It was beautiful as it was– Destiny’s Embrace, she had decided to call it. Xion remembered that she hadn’t given her own Keyblade a name yet, despite it being a while since she had held the Kingdom Key in her hand. Kairi handed the Keyblade to her; it was light to hold regardless of all of its intricate floral detail. Xion attached the bottle charm to it. She doubted for a second if it would have any effect; it was only a hastily-made gift, after all.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The Keyblade itself appeared to be see-through like the charm, with colourful stars inside it. The leaf of a paopu fruit trailed over the Keyblade like a vine to form the handle while the star-shaped fruit made up the blade itself. It’s design was rather simple compared to Destiny’s Embrace.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Give it a swing.” Xion said encouragingly as she handed the Keyblade back to Kairi. When she swung the Keyblade, the tiny stars inside it moved with her like a snow globe being tilted. Xion’s eyes followed them, transfixed. “I hope you like it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Like it...? Xion, I love it! It’s so pretty... I’m going to get so much use out of it! It’s going to be a lot of work, beating back Heartless while you’re... gone.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion laughed and smiled up at her. “I’m not the only one. The Heartless still have you and Riku to contend with... and hopefully Sora too, soon.” She placed a hand on her shoulder. “I won’t be gone forever. Only a little while.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I’ll come with you. To see Naminé. For... moral support.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She stood up and led the way downstairs. Fresh, evening air greeted them. The sun has started to disappear beneath the horizon. “Thanks. I... think I could use some support right now.” Xion gazed up at the cloudless sky and saw the first few stars appear. “I’m going to miss this place. I don’t know if it’s just because Sora grew up here, but... here feels like home to me. You feel like home to me, Kairi. I can’t wait to come back here someday.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t say that as if it’ll be years. You’re in good hands.” Kairi insisted. Her eyes had filled with tears that she didn’t care to wipe away. She stood by the sea, frozen in place yet still smiling. After a few moments she turned to Xion and hugged her tight. “You have a home here, Xion.” She took Xion’s hand and placed it over her heart.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion pulled her closer to hug her. She stayed there, her head buried against Kairi’s chest, without saying a word. She had made a place for herself in the Destiny Islands. She glanced back towards the lit-up houses and then at Kairi’s face. She could spend the rest of her life there, or join Kairi and Riku on their travels. There were infinite possibilities.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...We should go.” Xion gave the serene little settlement behind them one last look. Her feet shifted as though to take her back the way that they had came. Back home. She shook her head and opened up a gateway to Castle Oblivion.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naminé waited for them outside. She clutched a sketchbook in her hands. “Ienzo told me to expect you... you’re ready, aren’t you?” She asked as she stepped forward. In the dimming light, fireflies seemed to congregate around her. Their light brightened her eyes and her smile as she offered a hand to Xion.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion nodded and held onto her hand. She almost reminded Naminé that she didn’t need the guidance as she led them through the castle. Perhaps it was meant as a form of comfort, to ensure that she went through with what she intended to do.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi hung back when they approached the grand room where Sora was still sleeping. Unusually, Riku wasn’t there and neither was Ienzo. “I’m going to stay here. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him, and... we have catching up to do.” She told Xion.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s okay. I’ll be fine.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I know you will.” Kairi waved at her as Naminé took Xion into one of the smaller rooms that branched off the main hub. “Sweet dreams!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion secretly hoped that she wouldn’t dream at all while she was asleep, that it would be painless and peaceful. “...I’ll see you soon.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The new room was as plain as every other room in the castle. It was filled with various equipment and machinery that Xion didn’t know the purpose of. In the centre of the room was a place for Xion to lay down. It was too white and sterile to appear comforting.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Can I show you something, for a moment?” Naminé asked. She opened up her sketchbook and flipped through the pages. The first few pages were simple stick-figures but the more recent drawings looked as though they could be real. She stopped on a drawing of a young boy with long hair. He wore a strange outfit and a smirk on his face.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Is that Riku?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...Kind of. He was a friend... my only friend. But something happened, and now these drawings are all I have of him.” Naminé traced her fingers over the page. “Do you have any memories you wish you could forget?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion recalled the other replica she had seen. The last time they had seen each other, he had been searching for Naminé. But her question made Xion doubt that telling her about her encounters with him would be a good idea.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ve thought about it a lot, but I wouldn’t forget any of it. I want to remember every moment.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naminé nodded and closed the sketchbook again. “I understand. Lay down here so we can start.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She did as she was instructed. Despite its appearance, the reclined chair was comfortable to lay on. Xion could hear Naminé’s footsteps and the sound of Ienzo entering the room. She tried to imagine the gentle sound of the waves that she had grown so used to falling asleep to.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I wish you a peaceful rest, Xion.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>After a few moments, she closed her eyes. Everything was quiet and peaceful. She could picture the waves clearly now. Xion felt as though she was floating, weightless and worriless, through an endless sea. That was the last thing she was able to feel before true, deep, dreamless sleep took her.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Chapter 32</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>over 2 months and 32 chapters later, its finally over! <br/>thank you to kadabralin and rouge (@starfaerry on tumblr) for all the help and support, and also thanks to criptidgrimnoir137, saturdaylemon, herozeno and others for giving me the drive to keep going with this! <br/>hopefully there will be more kh fics from me in the future! x</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>Do you think she remembers who we are?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“She won’t remember you, she hasn’t met you before!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh, right. She’s been asleep for a long time, huh.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Quiet, she’s waking up!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion’s eyes slowly blinked open. The room around her was fuzzy at first but her vision cleared as she sat up. She was laid out on a padded chair. The walls weren’t the plain yet beautiful carved patterns of Castle Oblivion; instead, she was in a far smaller room. Kairi and Naminé stood in front of her, smiling brightly. Riku gave her a small nod. Another boy held onto Kairi’s hand. His eyes gazed into her own as though he was looking for something in them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sora? It is Sora, isn’t it...?” Xion smiled at him and then over at Naminé and Kairi. She could see Ienzo from the corner of her eye. He was talking to someone else on a screen with animated arm motions, more excited than she had ever seen him. Xion couldn’t hear their voice clearly, so she couldn’t tell who it was. “So... it worked. You’re actually here... and so am I.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Yep! It’s great to have you back, Xion.” Sora grinned at her and offered out a hand to help her up. Xion hesitantly took it. The rays of sun from the window warmed her skin. Or perhaps it was Sora’s smile.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kairi rushed over to hug her tight. “There’s so much to catch up on! I took your advice– we’re training with Master Yen Sid! You should join us sometime!” She spoke excitedly, almost too quick for Xion to understand.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–we?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Me, Lea, Roxas and Sora.” Kairi explained. She nudged Sora. “Well... Sora and Riku are going to be taking their Mark of Mastery exam soon. So we need an extra Keyblade to train with us.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Wait... Ax– Lea has a Keyblade? And...” Xion glanced over at Naminé and blinked tears out of her eyes before they could spill. “...Roxas is back? You saved Roxas... I can’t believe it. Can I see him?!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Namine nodded in response to the question of whether Roxas was back but her gaze grew pensive after she asked if she could meet him again. “...You will. You’ve spent half a year asleep. You need time to heal before putting your memories or his under too much stress. But he’s doing well.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Sora spoke up again. “Where do you want to go first? It’s your first day awake! We’ve got to make it the best day of your life!” His words received a nod of approval from Kairi and Riku’s lips twitched upwards into a smile. “Anywhere you want.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I... I don’t know.” The first thought that crossed her mind was the Destiny Islands, but she hesitated to voice her suggestion. The gazes of the people in front of her, both old and hopefully new friends, weighed on her foggy mind.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Don’t worry, we prepared for that answer too.” Kairi told her. She took one of her hands while Sora grabbed the other. They started to lead her outside, through unfamiliar hallways that were far shorter than the ones she had arrived through. “We’ve got a little surprise for you. It’s not much, since we didn’t have much time to prepare, but–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I know I’m going to love it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Sora cut in. “But you don’t even know what it is yet!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion laughed at his protesting tone. It was the first time that she had laughed since she had woken up. Had feeling so light and joyful always come so easy to her?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They opened a heavy-looking wooden door to reveal a small courtyard, lined with budding flowers and lush green hedges. The stone path was polished and led to a fountain in the courtyard’s centre. Four familiar figures sat on top of the fountain, talking amongst themselves as they jokingly flicked water at each other.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Upon seeing her, Hayner, Pence and Olette ran up to her and knocked her into Sora with a hug. Lea hung back, although not without a smile on his face. He had a Keyblade swung over his shoulder.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We’ve missed you!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Where have you been all this time? Did you have fun?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You should come and hang out with us sometime!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re here... I can’t believe they brought you here...” She said after she caught her breath. Xion quickly looked over her shoulder at Kairi and Sora; bringing her friends from Twilight Town to visit her must have been the surprise they had mentioned. “This feels like a dream... I don’t even know where I am.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Welcome back to Radiant Garden.” Lea draped an arm loosely around her shoulder. “Formerly known as Hollow Bastion. We did some renovations and now this place is starting to look liveable again. I’m still living in Twilight Town, though. See, I kept my promise.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s... amazing.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Isn’t it? Some time I should show you where I used to live.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion could imagine a modest yet comfortable city home somewhere, filled with the scent of Lea’s mother’s cooking. She giggled at the thought of Lea as a young child running around the house and fighting make-believe monsters with sticks he had found. Did the young Lea ever think that the same monsters would materialise in the place he called home? “Sure.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This is a lot to wake up to, isn’t it? How about we go somewhere more... familiar? Bet they’ve set up something there too.” He murmured, motioning towards Kairi and Sora. Kairi’s eyes lit up with glee while Sora whistled and pretended not to hear them. “Destiny Islands it is, then.” He added after Xion nodded at his suggestion. Her head was spinning at the mere fact that she was awake and that so much had changed since she had fallen asleep.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You do the honours then.” Kairi crossed her arms and looked up at Lea.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He produced a portal from thin air, just as she and Axel had. Xion stared blankly at the swirling darkness inside of it before re-focusing her gaze at Lea.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You can–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Like it’s hard?” Lea shrugged and tapped the side of his head. “Told you I could learn how to do things like this again. I just had to put my mind to it and re-memorise everything, that’s all.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion pulled the hood of her cloak over her face while she stepped through the portal. The sensation of the fabric brushing over her cheek was comforting to her, eerily familiar despite how much had progressed without her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She arrived on the shore of one of the islands to be greeted with a bright bonfire. Riku carried more wood from nearby to feed it. Xion assumed that he had left shortly after Sora and Kairi had taken her outside. A volleyball net was set up nearby, which Hayner, Pence and Olette immediately ran over to once they had stepped out of the portal.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Welcome home! I mean, if you still want to stay here after all of this... Now that the Organisation is gone, you could even go to school with us.” Kairi offered. “I guess you’ll have to wait until next year, though.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The concept of a normal life was nothing but alien to her. She watched her friends from Twilight Town begin a game of volleyball. Hayner cursed at Lea for landing another point, deeming his superior height unfair. Normalcy wasn’t a thing that was given to those in the Organisation nor to people on the run or those with a mission to fulfill. An ordinary life wasn’t something that she could even dream of, but there it was in front of her, just within her reach.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...I don’t really have anywhere else to go, do I?” She replied lightly. “Do you think I can do that? Live... normally? Like them?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I can’t see why not. Sure, you’ll have catching up to do in school, but I can tutor you along with Sora.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I heard that! And I don’t need a tutor, I just needed help with homework.” Sora insisted.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Out of the corner of her eye, she saw other portals appear. Naminé gazed around at the beach with pure wonder in her eyes. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at the odd feeling of sand between her toes. A boy stepped out of another portal. He wore a white t-shirt and some shorts, although the red shorts looked like they belonged to someone else. Lea immediately paused the volleyball game to approach him and the distant, sandy-haired boy appeared more approachable.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Is that...?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Sora followed her gaze towards the new arrivals. “Roxas? Yeah, that’s him. He’s nice once you get to know him– but you probably already know that.” He grinned but the expression faltered when Xion didn’t return it. Kairi’s face shared his concern. “Hey, is something wrong?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“The last time we saw each other... It ended badly. He’s happy over there, and I don’t want to ruin everything all over again.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Maybe he’s forgiven you. It was years ago, right?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion guessed that no one had told Sora exactly how her last encounter with Roxas had ended. “Some things can’t be forgiven that easily.” She murmured. Her heart ached to talk to him again, to apologise, to say the thousands of words she had rehearsed over in her mind ever since the day she had watched him fade in her arms.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You don’t have to talk to him. Come on, let’s go swimming! There’s a swimsuit you left behind at home.” Kairi squeezed her hand and turned to walk towards the houses further away from the beach. The islands had hardly changed at all in the time she had spent away from them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion changed into a black one-piece. It was simple and plain compared to Kairi’s pink bikini, but it was comfortable and the only piece of swimwear that she owned. They raced each other down to the shore and jumped into the waves. Xion felt something grab her leg under the water. She squeaked and turned around, only to be met with a face full of seawater and Sora’s grin before he dived in again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hey! Sora, get back here!” She swam around and watched the waves in an attempt to pinpoint where he was. Xion dived under the water to sneak up on him. A shadow hovered over the sea. Under the assumption that it was Sora, she peeked her head above the waves and splashed ahead of her. Her vision was blurry from the water but a quick glance around her suggested that she was closer to the beach than she had thought.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The unfortunate victim of her antics wringed out her dress. Naminé wore a lighter, more summery dress that day, with intricate lace patterns along the edges. She held onto a large hat with one hand, decorated with a blue ribbon.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I didn’t mean to– your dress–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naminé giggled. “It’s only water, it’ll dry off. If I had a swimsuit with me, I would’ve joined you. This place is even more beautiful than I imagined...”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Xion sat on the shore, careful not to get any more water onto Naminé’s outfit. She picked up a conch shell and placed it to her ear before she handed it to Naminé. “If you place it to your ear, you can hear the sea, no matter how far away you are. So wherever you’re living now, you can always remember this day.” She explained.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“...How would you feel if I stayed here? Now that you’re awake, I’m no longer needed in Radiant Garden often enough to have to stay. I’ve never felt more free than I have here, with the wind in my hair and surrounded by friends–“</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“–then stay.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A warm smile lit up Naminé’s face. Her usually pale features had a flush of pink to them after exposure to the cool sea air. The sun shone behind her to create a halo around her head. “I think I will.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She returned Naminé’s smile and waved to her as she swam away. Despite living on an island, Xion hadn’t given herself much time to go swimming. She hadn’t realised how relaxing it was to swim further and further out to sea until her friends were just specks bobbing around in the water. Xion noticed Sora and Kairi further inward and swam over to them only to dive underneath the waves before they could spot her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Got you!” She said as she splashed them from behind. They returned the favour until they could barely see each other from the water in their faces.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I think there’s going to be a barbecue later. I hope Riku’s cooking!” Sora stretched after he had found a rock to sit on. Kairi and Xion stayed in the sea and rested their arms on the side of the rock.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“If anyone’s cooking, it has to be him.” Kairi added, “He was amazing at it when it was just the three of us.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>So they had gone traveling together after all. Xion wondered what stories they would have to tell about all of the worlds that they had visited. She had a few to tell about the time that she had visited different worlds with Axel, but Kairi had already heard many of those.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re lucky you had a chef with you. Axel was hopeless, so we just stuck to buying whatever meals we could.” She shrugged. Saying Axel’s name felt less like she had swallowed a knife. “But at least we had a taste of the local cuisine.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Sora’s eyes lit up. “You should hear about the time we turned into mermaids! Riku was a mer-shark.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You can... do that?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hey, I’m pretty sure Ariel wouldn’t mind another visitor next time we show up.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Riku waved at Sora from in front of the bonfire and gestured at him to join him. Sora hopped over from the cluster of rocks to the shore effortlessly and ran over to him. Kairi and Xion sat down on the rocks instead, watching them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was Xion that spoke first. “...Did you ever tell him? That you wanted to be a part of his life forever?” She leaned forward, expecting an answer.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No, not yet. I think he already knows, though he’ll never say it. I tell him that every day, in lots of little ways. Who knows if he notices those... But we don’t need to share a fruit to be there for each other. Like us.”</p>
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  <p>“Yeah... like us.”</p>
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  <p>Kairi turned around before standing. “I should help those two with the barbecue. If Sora has anything to do with it, it’ll end up crispier than expected.” She glanced over her shoulder again. “Besides... there’s someone who wants to talk to you?”</p>
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  <p>Xion stood up to wave at Kairi as she left to join the others. She noticed Lea hand her a towel from a small collection in the corner of the seating area they had prepared. It was wonderful to think that all of this was for her, and for Sora too, in a way. She hadn’t noticed the boy standing opposite her, his gaze focused on the rocks with a hesitant expression.</p>
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  <p>“...Be careful, they can be slippery. It shouldn’t be too bad in this weather, though. Here, I can help you across.” Xion offered a hand to the boy, who stared at it as if it was alien to him. He started to step across the stones that poked out of the sea without her assistance, though, until he slipped. Xion grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the rock that she was stood on. Only then did she notice who she was talking to. “Roxas... Roxas, I’m so–“</p>
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  <p>“–I know. You don’t have to say you’re sorry.”</p>
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  <p>“What?!” For a moment she almost wished for some kind of reaction, or a Keyblade at her throat. But Roxas sat there beside her, seemingly calm. She willed her eyes not to fill up with tears at the sight of him. “I– I <em>killed</em> you, I took everything from you...”</p>
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  <p>“You don’t spend so long inside someone’s heart without knowing them inside and out. I know you’re sorry. I know you didn’t want things to end the way that they did... But it’s over. You... you did bring me back, didn’t you?”</p>
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  <p>Xion felt a dull pain in her chest and hugged him tight, burying her head against him. “I... I still don’t understand how you don’t care... Doesn’t it hurt to be near me like this?”</p>
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  <p>“...A little. But it’s nothing.” His eyes were watery and glazed over but he was still smiling. “You look so different now, and Axel. We should get some ice cream together, right? Like we used to?”</p>
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  <p>All Xion could manage was a nod. She heard footsteps from behind them, and someone stepping across the stones to perch on a stone behind them. Without thinking she recognised who it was.</p>
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  <p>“Hey, so, food’s going to be served soon.” Lea told them. He frowned when he noticed Xion shaking and reached over a hand to place it on her shoulder. “–Xion, are you okay?”</p>
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  <p>She sniffled. “Lea... Can you... come over here too?” A smile crossed her face when she felt Lea’s arms around them both. Even though they had always called each other ‘best friends’ before, she couldn’t remember much physical comfort between them. Their arms around her felt warm, though, and welcoming.</p>
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  <p>“Actually... you can call me Axel too, if you wanna.”</p>
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  <p>“Are you sure?” Xion lifted her head and wiped the tears from her eyes.</p>
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  <p>Lea nodded and offered a hand to help her up. “Of course. We’re friends, aren’t we?” He watched her hop across the rocks to the shore as though she had always lived on the Destiny Islands. “It’s a... close friend thing.”</p>
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  <p>She turned around to face Axel and Roxas. “Are you coming, or do you need help?” Xion asked lightly. To see Axel and Roxas together, under the background of the setting sun, reminded her of the many evenings spent in Twilight Town together, or training together for upcoming missions. She stepped closer to the rocks, so that the water crept up to her legs, and stretched out her hands to help them across.</p>
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  <p>The three of them walked across the beach together, towards the bonfire and the smell of food grilling on the barbecue. Axel sat down next to her on one of the wooden benches while Kairi sat on her left. Naminé approached them and sat down next to Roxas while Sora told them of another world that he, Kairi and Riku had visited.</p>
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  <p>“I’m home.” Her tone was soft but Kairi squeezed her hand and Axel ruffled her hair. Whether or not she had wanted to be heard, she was glad to know that they were there. Xion watched the smoke of the bonfire dance in the air as the sun set on the beginning of the rest of their lives.</p>
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